


Chasing Dragons, Falling in Love

by suicidebybooks



Series: Chasing Dragons, Falling in Love [1]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Adventure, Bottom Newt, Dragons, First Love, First Time, M/M, Magizoologist, Magizoology, Pre-New York, dragonslayer, eventual m/m sex, m/m romance, niffler on the loose
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-01-06 04:09:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12203601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suicidebybooks/pseuds/suicidebybooks
Summary: Newt Scamander is forced to team up with a dragonslayer while tasked with tracking down a wayward dragon.





	1. First Sparks

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set a few months before Newt heads to New York. Hope you enjoy. I don't own Fantastic Beasts, any of the characters, etc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story takes place a few months before Newt goes to New York. Hope you enjoy!

‘’’Dragonslayer? They told me you were a dragon expert!’’

‘’I am an expert,’’ Nathaniel said blandly. ‘’At slaying dragons.’’ The corner of his mouth quirked up as if he were fighting a smile.

Newt stared at him, lost for words. The dragonslayer lounged back in his chair across from him, taking a casual sip from his glass of whiskey. Newt looked down at the table, silently furious. Here he was on assignment trying to track down a dragon and the Ministry had sent a slayer to help him? Newt should have known the minute he laid eyes on Nathaniel Blackburne what his true profession was. He had met dragonslayers before and they were all the same, puffed up with arrogance, smelling of blood and dragon hide.

He had been instructed to meet up with a ‘dragon expert’ in a tiny muggle tavern in Wales, close to the area where the dragon had been sighted. He had been waiting for a good twenty minutes, nursing a cup of horrible tea served in a dented tin mug before Nathaniel showed up. When he had walked into the dingy room, Newt had noticed him immediately. Tall and powerfully built, wearing a long black wool coat with an oversize collar, he had strode into the pub like he owned it – and everything in it. His dark eyes had swept the pub and when they landed on Newt, he smirked and made his way over. For some reason, Newt was instantly reminded of a panther he had seen on his travels, beautiful, its entire being pulsating with deadly grace.

And then he was face to face with Nathaniel, shaking his hand and introducing himself and his mind switched over to the image of a pirate. Though Nathaniel was completely devoid of peg leg and eye patch, there was something about him that smacked of roguishness and outlaws. He had short black hair, and his tan, weathered face was covered with manly stubble. His eyes were dark brown, almost black and they sparkled with faint amusement as if he were on the verge of telling a joke. Newt hadn’t been able to hold his gaze for too long, though. There was something about the dragonslayer that made him a little nervous but Newt chalked that up to the fact that Nathaniel was a person and people typically made him nervous.

And then they had talked and the truth had come out and now Newt was stuck with him.

‘’So…the Ministry hired you to kill this dragon we’re looking for?’’ he asked Nathaniel.

‘’Well, what else are you supposed to do with a dragon? Keep it as a pet?’’ He chuckled but Newt didn’t laugh. He looked down at his hands, clenched tightly around his mug.

Nathaniel sighed. ‘’Oh, don’t tell me.’’

‘’What?’’

‘’You’re a _beast chaser _.’’__

‘’I beg your pardon?’’ Newt said, blinking at him.

‘’A beast chaser,’’ Nathaniel said. ‘’One of those soft-hearted little sods who chase after dangerous creatures, bleating about how misunderstood they are, how they’re not _really_ dangerous. Next thing you know, they’re getting their heads ripped off.’’ He rolled his eyes and took another sip of his drink.

‘’Well,  _I'm_ perfectly intact,’’ Newt said, a slight edge to his voice.

Nathaniel leaned forward suddenly, causing Newt to lean back, startled. His dark gaze swept over Newt’s body, long and lingering, then back up to Newt’s face. ‘’Yes,’’ he said softly, ‘’I can see that you are.’’ That smirk was back on his face and Newt felt himself blush. After a few seconds, Nathaniel settled back in his chair and Newt could breathe again.

‘’And I’m not a beast chaser,’’ Newt stammered. ‘’I’m a magizoologist.’’

Nathaniel laughed. ‘’A magizoologist?’’ he said incredulously, ‘’There’s no such thing.’’

‘’I’m the first one.’’

Nathaniel raised a brow. ‘’The first one, huh? Surely an official title bestowed on you by the Ministry, then? Of course it can’t be a field of study you made up all by yourself?’’ His voice was dripping with mockery. The man was infuriating but Newt couldn’t think of anything clever to say. He _had_ made up the title and the name of the field but just because he was the first didn’t mean that he was a fake.

‘’I’ve dedicated my life to studying magical creatures,’’ Newt said quietly, not looking at Nathaniel. ‘’And I’m not the only one.’’

‘’Yes, like I’ve said. _Beast chasers_.’’

Nathaniel Blackburne was not the first person Newt had come across to ridicule his choice of profession. Newt was used to the scoffing, the laughter, the outright hostility. He knew his chances of swaying someone like Nathaniel over to his point of view were slim to none. So Newt did what he always did: swallowed his true feelings and tried to act like a professional. He was hopeful that, one day, his work would speak for itself.

‘’So what are we going to do about this dragon then?’’ Newt asked.

‘’What are we going to do about it? You are going to help me track it and then I am going to kill it like I was hired to do.’’ Nathaniel rose from the table, casually dropping some muggle money on it to pay for their drinks. ‘’And I think if we’re going to work together it would be best to get it over with as soon as possible, don’t you think?’’ He started to make his way to the door.

Something sparked in Newt and he twisted in his chair, looking Nathaniel boldly in the face. ‘’I know men like you, Mr. Blackburne,’’ he said. ‘’I know men who are cold and hard-hearted and think just because they don’t feel anything, no other human, no other creature feels anything else either. And I can tell you men like you are wrong.’’ Newt was so furious it took him a few seconds to realize he was making full eye contact with Nathaniel and quickly stared at a spot over his left shoulder instead.

Nathaniel’s jaw clenched and, for a second, Newt thought he might just curse him there on the spot. Instead, a slow, malicious smile spread over his face and, bracing one hand on the table and the other one on the back of Newt’s chair, he leaned over Newt, his face mere inches away. ‘’Let’s say we make a little wager,’’ he said, his voice dangerously low. ‘’You show me a way to capture and contain this dragon safely without killing it and I’ll never slay another dragon.’’

Newt, who had been concentrating on Nathaniel’s ear to keep from having a panic attack, looked at him in surprise. ‘’You…you would do that?’’

Nathaniel nodded. ‘’The chances of you containing a dragon safely without killing it are so infinitesimal that it’s hardly a risk for me. But if you somehow do manage to accomplish such a feat, you have my word.’’

Newt considered it. He had worked with dragons before in the war, seen them in his travels. It would be tricky…but not impossible. And if it meant one less dragonslayer walking the earth, that was icing on the cake. Newt nodded. ‘’I accept your wager.’’

Nathaniel smirked. ‘’I thought you might.’’

Newt suddenly became very aware of how close they were. His heart started to pound and he seemed to be having trouble breathing properly. He tried to take a deep breath and inhaled a spicy, musky scent that could only come from the man standing over him. Newt gripped the edge of his chair and closed his eyes. ‘’And if you win?’’ Newt said, his voice unsteady.

Nathaniel didn’t answer for several seconds and Newt opened his eyes to find that Nathaniel’s gaze had drifted down to his mouth. His eyes were smoldering and Newt was sure he could actually feel heat radiating from him. He looked back into Newt’s eyes and leaned a little bit closer. ‘’I’ll think of something,’’ he whispered. Then he was gone, crossing the tavern and heading out the door.

Newt sat there for a full five minutes, stunned. His entire body was trembling and there was an odd tingling feeling in his stomach. Usually quite observant, he had become completely oblivious to his surroundings. He didn’t notice when a loud, jovial group of men entered the pub, nor did he notice that the muggle bartender was staring at him suspiciously. He gripped the handle of his case under the table, willing himself to calm down. He heard the door bang open and looked round to see Nathaniel poking his head in. ‘’’Are you coming or not?’’ he shouted, sounding impatient. Newt could only nod and, picking up his case, followed Nathaniel out of the pub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a pretty short chapter but I promise they will get longer from here on out!


	2. Sketching Shells and Unicorn Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Searching for the dragon turns out to be harder than Newt thought - especially because his eyes keep straying to the dragonslayer...

Newt and Nathaniel headed to the outskirts of the little village and disapparated to the rolling green hills of the Welsh countryside. It was a bright, spring day and a gentle breeze ruffled past them, rustling through the grass. Newt knew from the hazy reports that the Ministry had gathered that the dragon was most likely a Common Welsh Green, lived in the mountains surrounding the village, and was occasionally spotted by muggles when it swooped overhead carrying livestock. Thank Merlin it hadn’t killed any humans or else the Ministry wouldn’t even consider capturing it and trying to relocate it. Newt was well aware that the Ministry’s usual policy was just to kill dragons if they got too close to human dwellings, regardless if they posed an actual threat to human life. He had argued passionately for capturing and relocating the dragon and he was pretty sure his Department Head had agreed with him just to shut him up. And that’s why they had insisted that he team up with a dragon ‘expert’ Newt suddenly realized. Dragonslayers always kill first and ask questions later so they had hired Nathaniel to kill the dragon anyway because they were sure Newt would fail. Newt was determined though. He wasn’t going to allow any more of this needless slaughter.

He stole a glance at the dragonslayer, noting his easy, unhurried stride as he scanned the valleys and hills, his wand in his hand. They hadn’t spoken much outside the pub except to determine the general direction they were headed. That was fine with Newt, really. He didn’t care to hear how many dragons Nathaniel had killed or how many trophies he had stashed in his house. _Dragonslayers_ , Newt thought bitterly. They really were the worst sort of wizard. The thought of what they did turned his stomach - which was probably why he felt that odd fluttering sensation every time he looked at Nathaniel. Which was quite often. Usually, if Newt was forced to work with another person, he made a habit of tuning them out and focusing solely on the animals – it was one of the main reasons people found him a pain to work with. But Newt was finding it impossible to tune out Nathaniel – in fact he was hyperaware of him to the point where he wasn’t even keeping his mind on what they were supposed to be doing.

Nathaniel started to turn toward him while Newt was staring at him and Newt quickly looked in the other direction and pretended to be scanning the ground for signs of the dragon.

‘So,’’ Nathaniel said, ‘’what years were you at Hogwarts?’’

‘’Er…1908 to 1915.’’ 

‘’Ah, you started the year after I left. You wouldn’t happen to be Theseus Scamander’s little brother, would you?''

‘’Yes,’’ Newt said shortly. He didn’t feel much like getting into his family history just now.

‘’What house were you in?’’

‘’Hufflepuff.’’

Nathaniel chuckled. ‘’A bleeding heart beast chaser in Hufflepuff? Why does that not surprise me.’’

Newt glared at him. He wasn’t sure if he was being insulted or not. ‘’Let me guess yours then. I would say Slytherin house but that seems almost too obvious.’’ Newt immediately felt a flush creeping over his face. What was the matter with him?

Nathaniel put a hand over his chest, arranging his features into an expression of exaggerated pain. ‘’You wound me, Scamander. But you’re right, I was in Slytherin. Although the hat did consider putting me in Gryffindor,’’ he added thoughtfully.

They discussed school for a few more minutes, Newt letting Nathaniel do most of the talking. He learned that Nathaniel was a Chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team, being made captain in his fifth year ( because of course) and that his favorite subject had been Defense Against the Dark Arts (again, obvious.)

Newt gave vague, one-word answers when Nathaniel asked him about his own years at school. His memories of Hogwarts were complicated, to say the least. Some of his happiest memories were formed at school – and some of the worst, too. And they all involved the same person.

Nathaniel must have gotten the hint that Newt was reluctant to carry on the conversation because he stopped asking Newt questions and they continued their search in silence.

A few hours later, the sun was beginning to set, sinking below the mountains, turning the peaks blood red, and throwing the surrounding valley into shadow.

‘’Let’s turn in,’’ Nathaniel said. ‘’We’re unlikely to find any signs of the dragon in the dark.’’ Newt agreed and they apparated back to the village. Once they got back to the tavern, Newt immediately headed for his room on the second floor.

Nathaniel called after him. ‘’You’re not hungry?’’

Newt turned around halfway up the stairs and looked down at Nathaniel. The dragonslayer was looking up at him, caught in a halo of light from one of the lamps on the wall. From this angle, Newt noticed that his eyes looked a shade lighter and the color reminded him of warm, melted chocolate…

Nathaniel’s expression turned quizzical and Newt became aware of the fact that he had been staring at the other man for a full five seconds without saying anything. He gave himself a little shake and tore his gaze from the dragonslayer’s face. ‘’No, I think I’ll just take something up in my room, I’m a bit tired as it is,’’ he called over his shoulder. And before Nathaniel could say anything else, Newt bolted up the stairs and into his room. He leaned against his closed door and let out a long, shaky breath, willing his heart to return to its normal rhythm. He was just grateful that the tavern had enough rooms available so that they didn’t have to share.

***

For the next few days they headed out into the hills and mountains of Wales looking for the dragon but to no avail. Newt was becoming increasingly frustrated as each day passed with no progress. The longer he had to look for the dragon, the longer he had to endure the presence of Nathaniel Blackburne – which wasn’t exactly fun. He felt shaky and self-conscious around the dragonslayer and he didn’t know why. He couldn’t concentrate on the task at hand when they were out together because his eyes kept wandering over to Nathaniel and in the first two days, Newt was sure he had studied him so often, he might as well include Nathaniel in his manuscript of beasts he’d observed. While they traveled over the countryside, Newt amused himself with writing the entry in his head:

_Dragonslayer_

_M.O.M Classification: XXXX (Dangerous)_

_The dragonslayer is a murderous creature, spending the majority of its life killing innocent creatures for pleasure and profit. While dragonslayers come in all colors, shapes, and sizes, the typical specimen is tall, broad-shouldered, and muscular. Approach with caution; do not attempt to befriend._

Newt smiled wryly to himself. Yes, Nathaniel should have a XXXX rating at the very least.

‘’What are you smiling about?’’

Nathaniel’s voice broke through Newt’s reverie, startling him. ‘’Oh, um, nothing,’’ he said.

Nathaniel looked at Newt with raised eyebrows, then turned away, shaking his head and muttering something to himself. He and Newt didn’t talk much during their excursions. Newt had decided that they probably didn’t have anything in common, besides having attended the same school, so there was no point in getting to know Nathaniel. This was how he felt about most people. And he was sure Nathaniel couldn’t be interested in _him_. They spoke only when absolutely necessary, returning to the inn at night to their separate rooms – and continuing to eat their meals separately. This didn’t bother Newt. The less contact he had with the dragonslayer, the better. He wished, for the hundredth time, that he was working alone. Or that the Ministry had hired someone else – _anyone_ else.

After another long day of fruitless searching, they apparated back to the village.

***

The next morning, Newt was just finishing his breakfast in his room when he heard a knock at the door. A bit apprehensive, he crossed the room and opened it to see Nathaniel standing there which struck him as odd. They usually met downstairs in the tavern.

‘’Yes?’’

‘’Make sure you have everything before we leave. We can’t come back here tonight.’’ Nathaniel spoke quietly and his tone was uncharacteristically serious.

‘’What-why?’’ Newt asked, puzzled.

Nathaniel’s gaze shifted away from him, scanning the hallway, as if he was making sure no one could overhear them. He turned back to Newt. ‘’Just do as I say. I’ll explain later.’’ And he marched away, heading for the stairs.

Thoroughly confused, Newt closed the door. He had no idea what was going on but Nathaniel had seemed incredibly grim. Everything Newt had was in his case but he did one last sweep of the room to make sure he hadn’t left anything behind – and to ensure that the slippery little Niffler hadn’t made another break for it. Putting on his coat, he headed downstairs to join Nathaniel. They left the keys to their rooms on the counter and headed out. Once they had apparated back into the countryside, Newt immediately questioned Nathaniel.

‘’Why was it so important for us to leave?’’

Nathaniel looked at him. ‘’You don’t travel much with other people, do you?’’

‘’Not if I can help it, no,’’ he said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he cringed inwardly, realizing how that must sound to Nathaniel.

But Nathaniel flashed Newt a grin. ‘’No, I thought not,’’ he said. His expression turned serious again. ‘There are some muggles,’’ he said, choosing his words carefully, ‘’that see two men traveling together as…slightly suspicious. Not all the time but sometimes they think it can be, well, inappropriate.’’

‘’Inappropriate?’’ Newt said, flabbergasted. ‘’Why on earth would they think it was inappropriate?’’

Nathaniel stared at him. ‘’You really don’t know?’’

‘’Know what?’’

Nathaniel opened his mouth and he seemed on the verge of saying something but then he closed his mouth and looked away, appearing to change his mind. ‘’Suffice it to say that the innkeeper paid me a visit this morning and said it would be best if you and I were to find ‘other accommodations’.’’ He started to walk past Newt, apparently done with the conversation.

‘’I still don’t-‘’ Newt started to say.

‘’Look, it doesn’t _matter_ ,’’ Nathaniel snapped. ‘’We can stay somewhere else.’’ He strode off, and Newt, after a few seconds, followed. He was careful to stay a few paces behind Nathaniel – the dragonslayer’s entire body was tense, his shoulders hunched up and he was walking more quickly than usual, his boots stomping on the grass, his black coat billowing behind him. Newt could feel the rage emanating from him but didn’t dare ask him any more questions. But he was more confused than ever. Why had the innkeeper insisted they leave? And why was Nathaniel so angry about it? Was it possible the innkeeper had somehow discovered they were wizards? Newt really didn’t have a clue so he tried to put it out of his mind and focus on what he was supposed to be doing – looking for the ever-elusive dragon.

They spent the entire morning hunting across rolling green hills and valleys that skirted the foot of the looming mountains, trying to find any shred of evidence of where the dragon might be. Newt was beginning to think they were going to have to traverse the entire countryside of Wales before they found anything. The obvious problem with tracking dragons was that they could fly. But usually they left some scant evidence on the ground somewhere. Scorch marks, entrails from their kills…

‘’Shells,’ Nathaniel said suddenly.

Newt looked round at him. ‘’What?’’

‘’Eggshells,’’ Nathaniel said and pointed. Glittering in the sun beside a deep, black lake was a smattering of large silvery blue shards. Newt bent down for a closer look.

‘’Hmmm…by the looks of the shards, I’d say there were three of them, all hatched successfully.’’ He looked more closely at the shells, frowning. ‘’But these don’t look like Welsh Green eggs, they look more like-‘’

‘’Ukranian Ironbelly eggs,’’ Nathaniel said.

Newt turned and squinted up at him, incredulous. ‘’How on earth do you know that?’’

Nathaniel smiled at him but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘’Dragon expert, remember?’’ His face clouded over and he shifted slightly, looking uncomfortable. He looked back at Newt and nodded towards the mountains towering over them. ‘’What d’you reckon?’’

Newt stood up dusting off his hands. ‘’I think she would have taken her babies up there between the two highest peaks. It looks like they form some sort of bowl in the middle and that would probably be the ideal spot for her.’’

‘’You know if worse comes to worse I’m going to have to kill the hatchlings as well.’’

Newt jolted as if he had been electrocuted and looked at Nathaniel. There was no trace of arrogance in his face now but something much grimmer…was that shame? Newt looked back down at the eggshells. ‘’It won’t come to that,’’ Newt said.

Behind him, he heard Nathaniel sigh. ‘’We’ll see.’’

Newt reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out a small notebook and pencil. ‘’I’m just going to do a quick sketch of these,’’ he told Nathaniel, sitting down near the shells and opening his notebook to a fresh page. To his surprise, Nathaniel sat down beside him and stretched out his legs, propping himself up on his elbow, staring out at the lake. Newt tried to ignore the fact that the dragonslayer was lying mere inches from him but his hands were slightly unsteady as he began his sketch. A breeze danced past them, carrying the spicy, masculine scent of the other man to Newt’s nose. It made him slightly dizzy. He gave himself a little shake, trying to pull himself together. Still it was taking him a lot longer to sketch these shells than it normally would have done.

They sat in silence for a while, the only sound the scratch of Newt’s pencil. He thankfully became absorbed in his work and he could almost forget that the dragonslayer was sitting beside him. That is until Nathaniel shifted and leaned over Newt’s shoulder to look at his sketch. Newt’s body went rigid and he could have sworn that his heart had stopped. Either that or his heart was now beating so fast he couldn’t count the individual beats.

‘’Hmm,’’ Nathaniel said appraisingly, studying Newt’s drawing. ‘’So how’d you get into magizoology anyway?’’

Newt could feel Nathaniel’s breath on his cheek as he spoke, he was sitting so close. A shiver ran down his spine. ‘’W-well,’’ Newt stammered, ‘’my mother, uh, she bred Hippogriffs and she kind of um, taught me how to handle them and it all kind of snowballed from there.’’

‘’As simple as that? I thought it would be something grander – like you went into the Forbidden Forest and tamed every creature in there.’’

Newt smiled. ‘’You’re not too far off actually.’’

Nathaniel returned his smile. ‘’Really? Do tell, Mr. Scamander.’’

‘’Well, I was slightly disappointed when I realized Hogwarts didn’t offer a class studying magical creatures so me and a – a friend of mine would sneak into the forest and look for different beasts and study them.’’

‘’You little rebel. I never would have guessed. Did you ever get caught?’’

‘’Yes, many times. Lost a lot of points for Hufflepuff, I can tell you,’’ he said, absently shading in the eggs in his drawing.

‘’I’m surprised you didn’t start teaching students yourself when you were there. You should have formed some sort of club.’’ Nathaniel grinned. ‘’A beast chasing club.’’

‘’I don’t think many people would join. But,’’ he hesitated slightly. He had never voiced this thought aloud to anyone before. ‘’But,’’ he pressed on, ‘’one day I’d like to help establish a course that studies magical creatures at Hogwarts. Teach students about different species, how to look after them, that sort of thing.’’

‘’Ah yes I can see it now. First term, dragons. Second term, Acromantula and third term, hell, let’s say manticores? Whoever is still alive at the end of the year passes the class.’’ He chuckled to himself.

‘’It wouldn’t be like that,’’ Newt said, slightly annoyed but smiling in spite of himself. ‘’I would hope that whoever was headmaster or headmistress would never hire someone who thought unleashing potentially lethal beasts upon the students is the same as educating them about magical creatures. The idea would be to start with something relatively harmless, like Salamanders, and then move onto creatures that are a bit more complex but still safe.’’

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. ‘’Like what, may I ask?’’

‘’Creatures like Nifflers, demiguises, thestrals maybe, unicorns-‘’

‘’Oh I love unicorns,’’ Nathaniel blurted out.

Newt’s pencil stopped in mid-stroke and he turned slowly to face Nathaniel. He could see the dragonslayer’s face had turned slightly red and he was biting his lip. He seemed to have just realized he had voiced a private thought out loud. He glanced at Newt. ‘’I mean quite brutal beasts if you think about it,’’ he said awkwardly. ‘’With the horns and the hooves and the…tails.’’ He stopped, looking quite embarrassed.

‘’You like unicorns.’’

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. ‘’Alright, the mighty dragonslayer has a soft spot for unicorns. Shocking, I know.’’

Newt couldn’t help smiling. It was kind of endearing, to see this alpha male confess a secret love of unicorns. ‘’Have you ever seen one?’’

‘’Oh, I’ve seen herds from far away. They never let me get too close though. They can probably smell the bloodshed on me.’’ He smiled, but Newt couldn’t help hearing the bitter undertone in his words. ‘’Have you ever been close to one?’’

‘’A few times, yes.’’

‘’Again, not surprising. You probably reek of innocence and good intentions.’’

Newt was sure it was supposed to be a cutting remark but it didn’t have any bite to it. Sensing that the conversation was at an end, he turned back to his sketch.

‘’What are they like?’’

Newt stopped and turned. Nathaniel was staring at him and there was a look of almost desperate curiosity on his face. ‘I mean, what are they like? Up close?’’

‘’Well,’’ Newt said slowly, ‘’they’re some of the most beautiful creatures I’ve ever seen. They have a glow to them, like they’ve been painted with moonlight. When you’re close to them, you feel a sense of calm. A sense of peace and tranquility. If you get a unicorn to trust you, it’s…an incredible magic.’’

Nathaniel swallowed and looked away. ‘’Sounds enchanting.’’

They were both quiet for a while after that, Newt finally finishing his sketch of the dragon egg shells and Nathaniel seemingly lost in thought. When the sun started to sink behind the mountains, Nathaniel stood up and dusted himself off. Newt followed him up, carefully collecting the shells and slipping them inside his case.

‘’Where do you think we should stay for the night?’’ he asked Nathaniel.

''There’s a wizarding inn over in the next county. We can just apparate there and come back here in the morning. It’s called The Warlocks Way. Heard of it?’’

Newt shook his head. ‘’No, can’t say I have.’’ He didn’t usually stay in taverns or inns if he could help it. His Ministry salary typically didn’t allow such luxuries but he wasn’t going to tell Nathaniel that.

‘’I guess if you’ve never been there, you better hold onto me.’’ Nathaniel offered Newt his arm, like he was a gentleman escorting him out on the town. Newt hesitated. Nathaniel rolled his eyes. ‘’Come on, Scamander, I won’t bite.’’ Newt reached out and gingerly wrapped his hand around Nathaniel’s upper arm, noticing the hardness of the muscle under his sleeve.

‘’Ready?’’ Nathaniel asked.

Newt nodded, looking anywhere but at Nathaniel. They both turned and were swallowed up by crushing darkness.

They appeared moments later before a two-story tavern. Newt noticed that it leaned slightly to the left but it seemed sound enough. He looked around and saw that the inn was set in a large clearing in a leafy forest.

‘’Bit out of the way,’’ Newt said.

‘’That’s the point isn’t it? Keep it away from prying muggle eyes.’’ Nathaniel strode to the door and Newt followed him.

The ground floor was one immense room with wooden tables scattered throughout. There was a large wooden bar across the length of the back wall, where a portly man stood, using his wand to enchant rags that were cleaning a collection of solid gold goblets by themselves.

‘’Evening, gents,’’ he said as they made their way over.

‘’Good evening, sir,’’ Nathaniel said. ‘’Any chances of any rooms for rent?’’

‘’Just the one,’’ the innkeeper replied. ‘’I’m afraid it’s one with separate twin beds though.’’ He looked over at Newt and winked.

Newt frowned. ‘’Why would that-‘’

Nathaniel waved a hand at him, cutting him off. ‘’Separate beds will do just fine.’’

‘’Excellent.’’ The innkeeper bent down and rummaged underneath the bar and emerged holding a small gold key. He dropped it into Nathaniel’s hand. ‘’She’s all yours, gents. Number 7.’’ Nathaniel thanked him politely, while Newt muttered a quiet ‘thank you.’ He was still puzzling over the innkeeper’s remarks about the beds when a loud voice behind him made him jump.

‘’Blackburne, you son of a bitch, I was wondering when you were going to turn up!’’

Nathaniel and Newt both turned to see a burly, red-bearded man striding toward them. Newt went cold at the sight of him. There was no doubt what this man did for a living. He was dressed, head to toe, in shimmering dragon hide. A long black trench coat, knee-high boots – even his trousers were made of the scaly material. As the man came closer, Newt could see a large fang dangling from his neck, tied to a strip of leather cord.

The man walked straight up to Nathaniel, clapping him on the shoulder and grinning. ‘How are you, old friend?’’

‘’I’m as well as I can be. Is that a new coat?’’ His voice was light and friendly but Newt saw Nathaniel had shifted a bit to the right, positioning himself slightly in front of Newt.

‘’You noticed.’’ The man stepped back, running his hands down his lapel, preening. ‘Got it off my last kill. Hungarian Horntail. Nasty bugger but ended up being quite a prize if I do say so myself.''

Nathaniel smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. ‘Congratulations.’’

‘’Thanks. So, I heard you were on the hunt down here. That’s why I came.’’ His eyes fell on Newt, and he frowned. ‘’Who’s this?’’

Nathaniel gestured to Newt. ‘’Mr. Scamander was sent by the Ministry to assist me. Newt, this is Robert Thorne. We hunted down a Rhodesian Ridgeback together a few years back.’’

‘’Yes, it was quite the adventure,’ said Thorne. ‘’So,’’ he said, rubbing his hands together, ‘the Ministry actually contacted me first about this dragon around here. Couldn’t do it of course because of that Horntail I was wrangling. But once I finished with that pesky bugger, I thought I’d come down here and see if you needed an extra pair of hands.’’

Newt didn’t like the eager gleam in the other slayer’s eyes. There was something about him that made Newt uneasy. He wished there was a way to signal to Nathaniel, beg him not to invite this man along because he surely would –

‘’Actually, we’ve already disposed of the beast.’’

Newt blinked and looked at Nathaniel. Why was he lying?

‘’Oh,’’ Thorne said, looking disappointed. ‘’That’s too bad. Quick kills are never any fun.’’ The greedy look returned to his face. ‘’Did you take any trophies? The horns, maybe? Some of the fangs?’’

Nathaniel shook his head. ‘’Nah, my family has enough of that stuff lying around the house. I don’t see the need to add to it. We just burned the corpse, scattered the ashes.’’

Thorne clicked his tongue disapprovingly. ‘Such a waste, Nathaniel. I always thought you were strange, never taking trophies.’’

‘’I don’t need trophies to prove I’m good at my job, Thorne.’’ He eyed Thorne’s fang necklace with obvious distaste.

Newt noticed Thorne stiffen and a look of outrage passed swiftly over his face, quickly replaced by a look of forced casualness. ‘’Neither do I my friend, but you can’t deny I wear scales better than any dragon.’’ He bared his yellow teeth in a grin.

‘’That you do, Thorne. Well, if you’ll excuse us, it’s been a long day. I’’d like to get to bed.’’

‘’You and your friend wouldn’t care to have a drink first?’’

‘’We’ll pass tonight, thanks.’’

Thorne shrugged. ‘’Suit yourself.’’

Nathaniel and Newt walked passed Thorne and made their way up to their room. Nathaniel opened the door. It was a modest-sized room, with two twin-sized beds with brown wool blankets against the far wall, a small table with a lamp between them.

Nathaniel sat wearily on the bed, shucking off his coat. He bent over and began unlacing his boots. Newt stood beside the other bed, a bit uncertain. Then he asked, ‘’Why did you lie to him?’’

The dragonslayer looked up at him. ‘’What do you mean?’’

‘’You said the dragon was dead. I thought you’d be ready to accept his help. It would increase your chances of winning our wager.’’

Nathaniel’s face darkened. ‘’I’ve worked with Thorne before and let’s just say once was enough.’’

‘’What happened?’’

Nathaniel sighed. ‘’You really want to know?’’

Newt hesitated, then nodded.

‘’Thorne isn’t so much a dragonslayer as a dragon torturer. He enjoys making them suffer.’’

‘’And you don’t?’’ Newt blurted before he could stop himself.

Nathaniel gave him a very sour look. ‘No!’’ he said sharply. Newt flinched and looked down at the floor. Seeing this, Nathaniel’s voice softened. ‘No,’’ he said. ‘’I try to make my kills quick and humane. Thorne’s a sadist. He has no business being in this line of work. But people don’t care, do they? They don’t care what happens to them so long as they’re dead. They see them as-‘’

‘’Monsters,’’ Newt said quietly.

‘’Yes,’’ Nathaniel said. ‘’Yes they do.’’ He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked oddly vulnerable to Newt and he wondered if the swaggering arrogance Nathaniel had when Newt first met him was a type of performance. A mask he wore to keep people at a distance because he was well aware of the type of person other people expected him to be. A monster who killed other monsters. Whether this was true or not, Newt wasn’t sure. He just knew that Nathaniel kept defying his expectations.

‘’What happened exactly, when you were hunting with Thorne?’’

Nathaniel sighed. ‘’It kind of went how this is going, just ten times worse. One night, we were tracking it, we split up and Thorne got to it first. I heard the dragon’s screams and when I got there – he was skinning it. Skinning it alive.’’

Newt winced.

‘’I didn’t hesitate. I just killed it to put it out of its misery. Thorne told me afterward that he was only doing it because the hides looked so much better from a live dragon. Said that if you skinned them after they died, the scales went dull and the hides weren’t worth half as much. But I saw the look on his face. He was enjoying every second of it.’’

A heavy silence fell on the room after Nathaniel finished his story. Newt felt sick to his stomach.

‘I’m tired, Newt. Let’s go to bed.’’

Newt nodded and they both settled into their separate beds. He lay awake for a while, thinking about what Nathaniel had said. If he was horrified at the thought of someone torturing an innocent creature, just like Newt was, maybe it was possible he didn’t enjoy killing them either. Newt had just assumed that he must enjoy it if he did it for a living. All of the dragonslayers he had met before had all been arrogant braggarts. This Robert Thorne character was a textbook example. He remembered suddenly what Thorne had said downstairs. _The Ministry actually contacted me first about this dragon around here._ Newt shuddered. He had actually almost been forced to work with that sadist. He looked over at Nathaniel. The other man was lying on his side, his back to Newt. And to think just the other day, he had been wishing he had been working with someone else…anyone else. He could have ended up working with a man who tortured dragons for fun and covered himself in their skins – but instead he had been paired with a dragonslayer who never took trophies and had a secret love for unicorns.


	3. When a Niffler Ruins Your Dinner Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What could be more dangerous for Newt than tracking down a fire-breathing dragon? Perhaps dancing with a dragonslayer...

The next morning, Newt woke up before Nathaniel. Grabbing his case, he tiptoed to the door and made his way down the hall to the tiny bathroom. He made sure the door was locked, opened his case and climbed inside to check on his creatures. They all seemed to be faring well. Newt noticed the Niffler wasn’t in his coin-strewn nest but figured he was digging a hole somewhere. He climbed back up and headed back to the bedroom.

He opened the door and stopped short. Nathaniel was awake, standing by his bed rummaging through his pack – and he was naked from the waist up. All thoughts evaporated from Newt’s head as his observational mind took over.

Scars crisscrossed a taut, sculpted chest. A strip of dark hair trailed down a rigid, flat stomach into his trousers. Long, tan arms were roped with veins and muscle. _Predator_ , Newt’s mind whispered. _Hunter_. He wondered what it would be like to sketch Nathaniel like this. His mind conjured an image of the other man standing over him while Newt sat in front of him with his sketchpad as he drew every line, every hard muscle. A rush of heat started at his face and traveled down his body, right to his -

‘’See something you like?’’

Newt started. Nathaniel had finally looked up, a fresh shirt in his hand.

‘’I was just, um,’’ Newt stuttered.

‘’There’s no harm in looking, Scamander.’’ Nate shrugged on his shirt, and began to button it up. He strode towards Newt, raking him with his gaze. Newt felt as if he may as well be naked, the way Nathaniel was looking at him. Nathaniel smirked at Newt as he passed him, his hard body grazing Newt’s. Newt trembled, pressing himself against the wall.

While Nathaniel was in the bathroom, Newt considered just running away. This was too much. The way Nathaniel affected him drove him to distraction. This was exactly the reason he preferred to work alone. Not that anybody he had been forced to work with had affected him like this. No. Not since Leta. And Leta had been very, very dangerous.

But no. Newt couldn’t run away. He was the only thing standing between the dragon and the slayer. He had to stay and see if he could protect the beast, no matter what the cost.

Nathaniel came back into the room, fully dressed. ‘Ready to go?’’ Newt nodded, grabbed his case and followed him out of the room.

From underneath the bed, the Niffler poked his head out.

***

They headed out towards the mountains, closer to the spot where they supposed the dragon might have taken her brood. Clambering up the steep slopes, Newt tried very hard to ignore Nathaniel who kept shooting him sly, wicked looks that had the unfortunate effect of making Newt’s trousers feel tighter than usual. He wrapped his coat around himself and kept his eyes on the ground, desperately wishing he had run away that morning while he still had the chance.

It was late afternoon when they finally reached the top of the peak. They looked down into a vast, green bowl that held a small lake and one extremely large dragon. Newt blew out a long sigh of relief. At last they had found her. She was sleeping, curled up like a scaly dog with one steel-grey wing stretched out, hovering over the ground.

‘’That’s where her hatchlings are,’’ Newt said in a hushed voice. He shot a brief glance at Nathaniel who was staring down into the valley. ‘’What do you think?’’

‘’I think,’’ Nathaniel said, not taking his eyes off the dragon, ‘’that we have no chance of catching her alive while she’s guarding her hatchlings.’’

Newt’s heart sank. He hated to admit it but he thought the dragonslayer was right about that. Just like any other creature, dragons only became deadlier and more aggressive when they were protecting their young. He wondered if he had been foolish to think he could save the dragon. His eyes burned suddenly and he quickly rubbed at them.

‘’We’ll need to set a trap,’’ Nathaniel said.

Newt looked up at him. ‘’What?’’

‘’Well, it’s obvious isn’t it?’’ Nathaniel said. ‘’We need to get her away from the hatchlings to take her alive. Once we’ve done that, we just come back here to get her young and transfer them to some more remote location.’’

‘’You think that’ll work?’’ Newt asked.

‘’ _You’re_ the one who said it could be done, Scamander,’’ Nathaniel said, raising his eyebrows. ‘’I’m just offering suggestions.’’ But he smiled at Newt, a genuine smile that made something in Newt’s chest stutter. He looked away.

‘’Probably best to do it in the evening then,’’ Newt said. ‘’Secure some sort of bait.’’

‘’That might take some doing,’’ Nathaniel said. ‘’Why don’t we head back to the inn, grab a bite then head out again?’’

Newt nodded in agreement and, without even thinking, reached out and wrapped his hand around Nathaniel’s upper arm like he did last night. Nathaniel blinked at him in surprise then smiled at him. They both turned on the spot and disapparated back to the inn.

They reappeared just in front of the large wooden door of the tavern. Newt began to detach himself from Nathaniel, but the dragonslayer stopped him, putting his hand over Newt’s, which was still gripping his arm. Newt went still, unable to tear his gaze away from the large hand that was covering his own, holding him in place. ‘’Have dinner with me,’’ Nathaniel said softly.

Newt looked up at him. ‘’You want me to have dinner with you? In the tavern?’’

Nathaniel stroked his thumb over Newt’s knuckles. ‘’In the tavern, in our room, it doesn’t matter, just…have dinner with me.’’ He looked at Newt and grinned. ‘’I just thought you might be as tired as I am of eating alone.’’

‘’I…’’ Newt said. They were standing far too close. If Newt took another step, he’d practically be in Nathaniel’s arms. A strange ache pooled in his lower belly at the thought. The image of Nathaniel in the room this morning, shirtless flashed through his mind and the ache intensified. Newt didn’t think it was hunger. Nathaniel was watching him expectantly. ‘’Er…okay,’’ Newt said finally, his voice trembling a little. ‘’Let’s have dinner.’’ Nathaniel smiled at him, one of his genuine smiles, squeezed Newt’s fingers briefly then gently released him. He strode over to the door and held it open, allowing Newt to enter first – and they both walked into utter chaos.

A large knot of people were crowded around the bar, voices raised angrily at the innkeeper who was making placating gestures and trying to be heard over the noise.

‘’What the hell?’’ Nathaniel said. He nudged Newt’s shoulder and nodded up at the ceiling. There were several large holes in it as if something had burrowed right through the top floor…Sudden realization flooded Newt and he looked around the bar, panicked. Now that he knew what to look for, he saw that almost all of the goblets had gone missing, buckles on people’s shoes had been torn off and he could distinguish several voices in the crowd complaining that the keys to their rooms had gone missing. Their _gold_ keys, Newt thought. He groaned inwardly.

Nathaniel was looking at Newt suspiciously. ‘’Newt,’’ he said slowly, ‘’do you know the cause of all this?’’

Newt nodded reluctantly.

‘’Is it dangerous?’’

‘’Dangerous? No!’’ Newt said quickly. ‘’Just, er, destructive.’’

‘’I can see that,’’ Nathaniel said dryly. ‘’Do you need help catching it?’’

‘’No, I can handle it.’’

‘’Good. You go look for it. I’m going to see if I can prevent a full-scale riot from happening.’’

He headed towards the bar while Newt started for the stairs. He paused and looked back as he heard Nathaniel’s raised voice carry over the din. ‘’What seems to be the trouble?’’

Several outraged voices answered him.

‘’My money was stolen! I had 20 galleons on me and they’re all gone!’’

‘’Have you seen the state of this place! He says it’ll be hours before he’s got everything fixed! I want to go to bed!’’

‘’This innkeeper has played us all for fools! I demand we get the Ministry involved!’’

There were several shouted agreements to this last statement.

‘’People, please,’’ Nathaniel said smoothly. ‘’Be reasonable.’’ He put a reassuring hand on the innkeeper’s shoulder. '‘This man here has been running a reputable business for over twenty years. He wouldn’t throw that all away to steal from his loyal customers. You are all intelligent people, you must realize how absurd that sounds?’’

There were a few angry mutterings at this but at least the crowd had stopped shouting. Newt couldn’t help smiling. It was fascinating to watch him work. He was the kind of man who could probably charm the sun out from behind the clouds.

‘’Now it is clear to me that this is the work of a criminal, a vandal, a scoundrel of the worst sort.’’

‘’So the Ministry _should_ be involved!’’ someone shouted.

‘’My good man, the Ministry already _is_ involved. I happen to be traveling with a top Ministry official and he is already on the case. The culprit will be caught and your belongings returned to you, I have no doubt about that.’’

The crowd seemed slightly mollified until, ‘’But what do we do until then? This guy says we can’t go into our rooms until the damage is repaired!’’

‘’We’ll just have to make the best of it. I’m sure the good innkeeper here will be happy to provide free drinks to ease your distress.’’

There were excited murmurs from the crowd while the innkeeper looked at Nathaniel in alarm. Nathaniel squeezed his shoulder and gave him a meaningful stare.

The innkeeper nodded and said to the crowd, ‘’F-free drinks for everyone!’’

The crowd cheered at that.

But then, ‘’But the goblets are all gone!’’

‘’Well are we muggles or are we wizards!’’ Nathaniel cried jovially. ‘’Surely, I can’t be the only one here who ever took a transfiguration class?’’

Murmurs of agreement as the crowd started to look for things to transfigure.

‘’You there, young man, I believe you have a fiddle? Excellent, we’ll drink, we’ll dance, we’ll have a good time.’’

Nathaniel caught Newt’s eye and winked. Newt smiled back and went off in search of the Niffler.

After a thorough search of the ransacked building, Newt finally found the Niffler half an hour later, crouching under one of the beds. The Niffler tried to make a run for it but Newt seized him by the back legs and carried him outside. A little ways away from the tavern, he turned the beast over and dangled him over the ground. Showers of shiny objects came spilling out of the Niffler’s pouch – silver, bronze, and gold coins, keys, buckles, jewelry, and what looked like the entire collection of gold goblets that had been behind the bar. By the time Newt was finished, the pile on the ground came up to his knees.

‘’You thieving little wretch,’’ Newt said, not unkindly. ‘’Keep your paws off other people’s belongings!’’

The Niffler blinked up at him and then cuddled into his chest, snuffling at his neck. Newt shook his head, cradling the Niffler. Damn them for being so cute.

Once the Niffler was safely back inside his case (and he double-checked the latches), Newt headed back inside with the Niffler’s stolen goods collected in a small sack. A different sort of chaos met his eyes this time. The tables and chairs had all been pushed against the wall to create a big open space where people were dancing. Well, not so much dancing as wobbling about, bumping into each other. They all seemed quite drunk. Newt looked over at the bar to see Nathaniel surrounded by several witches and wizards. He seemed in the middle of a joke because a moment later, the crowd around him roared with laughter. Newt stared at him for a few minutes. There was an easy smile on his face, his coat was off, shirtsleeves rolled up, waistcoat unbuttoned. He watched as a young man approached Nathaniel, smiling shyly. He spoke a few words to Nathaniel who nodded and then the youth took his hand and led him off onto the dance floor.

Newt averted his eyes and brought the sack of stolen goods over to the innkeeper who was standing at his usual spot behind the bar. ‘’Ah, thank you, lad. You and your friend have single-handedly rescued my business.’’ He looked around his tavern at the drunken revelry. ‘’Best be giving these folks their things back in the morning. Don’t want any brawls, do we?’’

Newt nodded absently, his eyes on Nathaniel. He seemed to be dancing some sort of jig with the young man who was looking up at him hungrily. The sight made Newt slightly queasy and he asked the innkeeper when the upstairs would be repaired. ‘’Oh just a few more minutes maybe. I’ve only got a handful of staff as it were and most of them still young and green. Still, shouldn’t be long now.’’

Newt thanked him and went to sit at a table in the corner to wait. He couldn’t help seeking out Nathaniel in the dancing crowd. He was still dancing with the young man. Nathaniel twirled him and then caught Newt’s eye across the room. He immediately stopped dancing, said a few words to the young man, who seemed reluctant to give him up but nodded. Newt watched as Nathaniel disappeared among the crowd, heading towards the bar. He appeared moments later, two glasses in his hands, and a grin on his face.

‘Well, if it isn’t the intrepid beast chaser,’’ he said, plonking the glasses down on the table and dropping into a chair beside Newt. ‘’I take it your search was successful?’’

‘’Y-yes,’’ Newt stammered. He reached for the glass Nathaniel had brought him. It was butterbeer and his stomach rumbled gratefully. Nathaniel raised his own. ‘Cheers,’’ he said and clinked his glass against Newts. They both drank, Nathaniel drinking deeply, Newt taking a tentative sip. Nathaniel put his empty glass down and looked at Newt. ‘’So what manner of beast was it exactly?’’

‘’A niffler,’’ Newt answered. ‘’Pretty tame by dragonslayer standards but they do have a habit of causing trouble.’’

‘’So it was just a wild niffler then that got into the tavern?’’

‘Seems like it.’’

‘’Hmm,’’ Nathaniel said and Newt noticed him glance down at his case. ‘’You weren’t tempted to keep it as a pet?’’

‘’Nifflers don’t really make good pets.’’

‘’No, I suppose not.’’ There was a knowing gleam in Nathaniel’s eye that Newt didn’t like so he looked away from Nathaniel and watched the dancers instead. They were both silent for a few minutes. Newt was hyperaware of Nathaniel sitting beside him. If he moved his leg just an inch to the right, his thigh would brush up against Nathaniel’s. Goosebumps erupted along Newt’s arms at the thought.

Nathaniel turned to Newt suddenly. ‘Come and dance with me.’’

‘’Wh-what?’’

‘’Come dance with me,’’ Nathaniel repeated. He stood up and offered his hand to Newt. Newt stared at it, disbelieving. Then he looked away. ‘’I don’t really know how,’’ he said.

‘’Oh come on, Scamander, there’s nothing to it. You think any of the people here are professionally trained?’’

Newt looked once again at the crowd of people. Most of them seemed too drunk to know right foot from left but they did appear to be having a good time.

Newt shook his head ruefully. ‘Are you trying to humiliate me, Mr. Blackburne?’’

‘’No, Mr. Scamander,’’ Nate replied, his gaze turning mischievous. ‘’I am only trying to get you to have a little fun.’’

Without thinking, Newt took Nathaniel’s outstretched hand and Nathaniel pulled him onto the dance floor. The feeling of the other man’s hand in his sent an electric current through him and his heart started to race. Nathaniel led him to the edge of the crowd and turned to face him. ‘’Now put your hand on my shoulder, yes don’t be shy, there.’’ He slipped an arm around Newt’s waist. ‘’Now spread your feet a little bit, good, and just follow my lead.’’ Newt nodded, his eyes on his shoes. Nathaniel now had both hands on him, one grasping his hand, one touching his waist. If Newt threw eye contact into the mix, he would surely pass out. Nathaniel began to move and Newt moved with him. They only made small circles at first, Nathaniel leading him gently. Newt actually began to get into the rhythm of it and looked up from his shoes. Nathaniel was smiling at him broadly. ‘Ready for something a bit faster?’’ he shouted over the music. Newt nodded. ‘’Okay then,’’ Nathaniel said. ‘’Here we go!’’

Then they were moving in great swinging circles as they took off and danced all around the edge of the floor, Newt clinging to Nathaniel for dear life. He really was a great dancer and it was easy for Newt to get the hang of it.

And then Newt realized something. Here he was in a crowded tavern, in very close proximity with another human being...and he was having fun? Newt usually avoided situations like this because they made him so miserable but here right now, dancing with Nathaniel…he was positively giddy. Newt felt uncontrollable laughter bubble up inside him and he let it out. Nathaniel laughed with him as he continued to twirl him around and they both cavorted wildly around the dance floor, laughing like hyenas.

The song ended and Newt and Nathaniel stopped to catch their breath. Newt was grinning so widely his face hurt.

‘’See?’’ Nathaniel said. ‘’That wasn’t so bad.’’

For whatever reason, the man playing the fiddle chose that moment to start playing a much slower song, with notes that flowed through the room, sultry and mellow. Newt looked nervously down at his boots. ‘’Well, I should head to bed.’’

‘Just one more dance,’’ Nathaniel said softly and he stepped forward and drew Newt into his arms. Something like a whimper escaped Newt. Nathaniel was holding him a lot closer this time and instead of great spinning circles he was just swaying in time to the music. The music surrounded them, slow and heady, and Newt felt dizzy again. Nathaniel’s hand was on Newt’s lower back and he felt it slip down slowly until he rested it just above Newt’s backside. He tightened his grip and pressed Newt’s body flush against his, grinding his hips, tantalizing and teasing. Newt gasped at the incredible friction and could plainly feel Nathaniel’s hardness through his trousers. Newt’s own body started to respond, blood rushing to his groin. Nathaniel groaned. ‘Newt,’’ he breathed.

Newt closed his eyes and moaned, overwhelmed with sensation. He vaguely remembered that they were in a crowded room surrounded by other people, people with eyes that could see them. But right now the only thing that mattered to him was Nathaniel, the feel of his hands on Newt’s waist, the tickle of his breath on his ear. Nathaniel’s face was close to his now, his lips hovering right over Newt’s. He leaned forward.

The song ended and the spell was broken. Newt stumbled a couple of steps back from Nathaniel, his face burning. Nathaniel’s face was flushed too but not from embarrassment. There was naked lust blazing in his eyes and Newt could see the hard bulge in his trousers. And he knew that his own arousal was just as obvious. A wave of shame crashed over Newt and he felt his eyes start to burn. Tearing his eyes from Nathaniel, he rushed over to his case, grabbed it and flew up the stairs without looking back.

Newt hurried into their room, closing the door behind him, praying that Nathaniel wouldn’t follow him up right away. He longed to escape into his case but he guessed that Nathaniel was already suspicious about what he kept inside there. And he didn’t want him to know – because he didn’t trust him.

And that was it wasn’t it? That’s why he had panicked when Nathaniel almost kissed him. Newt wasn’t supposed to feel this way about someone like him. Someone who killed innocent creatures and made a living out of it. And it wasn’t just Nathaniel. He could never get close to anyone ever again – not after what happened with Leta.

Newt sighed and headed for his bed. He got under the covers fully dressed, only pausing to take his boots and coat off. He pulled the covers up to his chin and turned off the lamp. He closed his eyes and immediately regretted it because an image of Nathaniel swam before him, shirtless and beckoning. Newt imagined the scenario that had come to him that morning, Nate standing over him while Newt sketched him. And then maybe when he was done the sketch, Nathaniel would take the sketchpad out of Newt’s hands and lay it aside. Then he would take both of his hands over Newt’s and bring them up to his chest and Newt would run his fingers along Nate’s body and Nathaniel’s head would fall back and he would moan as Newt’s hands traveled lower. And then Nathaniel would push Newt down on the bed and lower his body on top of him…

Newt fumbled his trousers opened, and wrapped his hand around his aching erection. It only took him a couple of strokes before he climaxed to a vivid image of Nathaniel moving over him. He gasped for breath and then froze as he heard the door open.

Newt went very still as he heard Nathaniel enter the room. ‘Newt?’’ he said quietly. Newt bit his lip to keep from making any noise, attempting to modify his breathing so it sounded like he was asleep. He heard Nathaniel sigh and then heard clothes rustling, and the creak of the other bed as Nathaniel lay down. Newt buried his face in his pillow, a silent tear slipping down his face.


	4. Draw Me Like One of Your Fantastic Beasts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan to capture the dragon goes horribly wrong...but it only brings Newt and Nathaniel even closer...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sexy times in this chapter! If you're not into m/m love scenes, don't read!

Newt awoke the next morning and grimaced as he felt the sticky remains of last night’s bad judgment. Thankfully Nathaniel wasn’t in the room as Newt performed a quick cleaning spell on himself. There was a note on the nightstand from him however. Newt picked it up and read: ‘Come downstairs and join me for breakfast. We have things to discuss.’

Newt made a face. How could he possibly face Nathaniel after what happened last night? The desire to flee coursed through Newt again but he resolved to stay. He was a professional and he wasn’t going to let his unfortunate attraction to the dragonslayer get in the way of doing his job.

Still, Newt took longer than was necessary to get ready. He showered, shaved, changed his shirt, changed his shirt again because he was sweating so much. Newt took a deep breath, trying to slow his racing heart. He performed a hasty anti-perspiration charm on himself and headed downstairs.

He found Nathaniel seated at a table near the window, surrounded by platters of food. He looked up as Newt approached. ‘Morning, sunshine,’ he said, smiling. He indicated the mountains of food. ‘The innkeeper’s way of thanking us for last night.’

Goosepimples crawled over Newt’s arms at the thought of ‘last night.’ He nodded curtly, sat down, and pulled a bowl of fruit toward him and started picking at it, looking out the window, deliberately avoiding Nathaniel’s gaze.

Nathaniel sighed. ‘We need to figure out what we’re going to do about this dragon.’'

‘’I thought we had already established that,’’ Newt said, an edge to his voice. ‘’According to you, I’m supposed to track it and you’re supposed to kill it, isn’t that right?’’

Newt dared a glance at Nathaniel’s face and saw his face had turned stony. ‘’Is that why you’re so pissy this morning?’’ he asked. ‘’It’s all fun last night but then you remembered I’m the big bad dragonslayer who doesn’t have any feelings?’’

Newt swallowed. Nathaniel was looking down at his plate, vehemently cutting up a sausage, his jaw set.

‘’I’m-“ Newt began.

Nathaniel waved away his apology. ‘’Never mind, Scamander, it’s not important.’’

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Newt felt distinctly awkward. Everything was going all wrong. Newt knew Nathaniel wasn’t some unfeeling killing machine. He wanted to tell him that he quite liked him in spite of his profession, that he suspected there was more to Nathaniel than just being an arrogant dragonslayer. He wanted to tell him all this and more. But he didn’t know how. Dejected, he kept his eyes down, studying the plates of food and noticed that all of the vegetarian dishes had been put on his side of the table. He swallowed, willing himself to say something-

‘’We need to secure some sort of bait,’’ Nathaniel said suddenly. ‘’For the trap.’’

‘’What kind of bait?’’ Newt said uneasily.

‘’Some sort of livestock. A sheep probably. Shouldn’t be too hard to track down, Wales is full of them.’’

‘’Er, okay.’’ Newt didn’t like the idea of using a helpless non-magical animal as bait but he supposed dragons had to eat too.

They decided to set the trap by the lake where they had first discovered the dragon eggs. Newt left it up to Nathaniel to procure the sheep while he cast muggle-repelling charms around the area. Nathaniel reappeared a short while later, carrying a very bewildered-looking sheep over his shoulders. He set a stake in the ground and tied the sheep to it. The animal began to graze lazily over the grass, unaware of its impending doom.

While Nathaniel was doing this, Newt noticed he had bits of white fluff clinging to his dark coat. He reached out a hand to brush them off but checked himself just as Nathaniel straightened up. His dark gaze slid to Newt, who still had his hand raised. Newt hastily pretended to scratch an itch on the back of his head. Nathaniel looked away, not saying anything.

They had a couple of hours before the sun went down so they both sat a on a hill a little ways away from the sheep. Nathaniel had been surly with Newt all morning and didn’t seem inclined to make conversation. Newt couldn’t really blame him. He was still trying to sort out his confusing feelings for the dragonslayer and until he did, he thought it was best to stay silent.

To stave off boredom, Newt took out his sketchpad and began to draw the sheep. Not that he hadn’t sketched them before but at least it was something to do. Nathaniel eased back, his hands behind his head, his face turned up to the sun. He only lay a couple of feet away from Newt and Newt’s eyes kept straying to him. He seemed more relaxed now, not the least bit hostile.

Newt looked down at his sketchpad, considering…did he dare? His fantasy from last night flared up in his mind and his face burned. ‘’Do you mind if I sketch you?’’ Newt blurted before he could stop himself.

Nathaniel opened his eyes and looked over at Newt, eyebrows raised. ‘’You want to sketch me?’’

Newt shrugged, trying to appear casual. ‘’It’s good practice.’’

Nathaniel studied him for a moment. Then he closed his eyes, unconcerned. ‘’Whatever sparks your wand, Scamander.’’

Newt shifted so he was facing Nathaniel. ‘’Thank you.’’

Nathaniel grunted.

‘’I’ve never had the opportunity to sketch a dragonslayer in the wild.’’

Nathaniel’s eyes flew open and he glared at Newt but upon seeing the grin on his face, he chuckled softly. ‘’Less of that, you cheeky bastard.’’

Newt bent over his sketchpad, still smiling. He worked slowly, not rushing, taking time to add details. He ended up doing two sketches, one full body sketch and a close-up of Nathaniel’s relaxed face. He spent a considerable amount of time on the close-up sketch. He studied Nathaniel’s face trying to get the details right. Nathaniel hardly moved the whole time. Newt followed the steady rhythm of his breathing and it had a calming effect on him for some reason. Finally, as the sun was sinking behind the mountains, he finished.

Nathaniel noticed the absence of the sound of Newt’s scratching pencil. ‘’Finished?’’

‘’Yes.’’

‘’Can I see?’’

Newt handed the sketchpad over to Nathaniel and he squinted at it in the fading light. He studied it carefully for a few moments. Newt noticed him running a finger along the lines. Then a mischievous grin spread over his face. ‘’What, no demon horns? No hooves? I thought you’d at least draw me shrouded in a Dementor’s cloak-‘’

‘’I don’t think you’re a bad person.’’ Newt said.

Nathaniel stopped smiling and turned to look at Newt, his expression suddenly serious.

Newt looked down at the ground, his hand gripping a tuft of grass. He started ripping it up as he spoke. ‘’I thought at first that you were just like all the other dragonslayers – arrogant and unfeeling. But you’re different and-‘’ Newt swallowed. ‘’And I like you,’’ he said softly.

Nathaniel’s hand covered his own and Newt looked up at him. Nathaniel, however, was looking at where his hand was covering Newt’s. ‘You like me?’’

Newt nodded. ‘’Very much,’’ he whispered.

Nathaniel looked at him. It was now so dark out, it was hard to read his expression. Newt started as he felt Nathaniel’s hand come up and touch his face. His thumb caressed Newt’s cheek and he began to lean forward. Newt closed his eyes, his heart almost pounding out of his chest.

An earth-shattering roar made them spring apart. They hadn’t noticed the dragon flying overhead. It had landed in the valley and gulped the sheep down in one swift motion. But as soon as it did, ropes sprang out of midair and bound its legs, its neck, its wings – all part of the trap they had set. It was now roaring in abject fury, spewing fire, burning all the grass around it.

They were both on their feet with their wands out. Nathaniel took command. ‘’Newt, get by its head, we’re going to have to go for the eyes if we want to subdue it!’’

Newt took off in a wide arc, dodging to avoid a jet of flame from the dragon’s jaws. He came around on the dragon’s left side trying to keep out of range of fire. On the other side of the dragon’s thrashing body, he spied Nathaniel with his wand at the ready.

‘’On three!’’ Nathaniel shouted. ‘’One..two..three!’’

They both cast stunning spells at the same time. Nathaniel’s spell seemed to hit he dragon squarely in the eye but Newt’s missed considerably, hitting the tough hide on the dragon’s neck and having absolutely no effect. The dragon bellowed even louder at that and then Newt heard the sound of ropes snapping. With a twist of its massive body, the dragon had wrenched itself free of the ropes. It swung its head madly, spewing more fire and then it started for Nathaniel. Newt heard him swear loudly and then the sound of more stunning spells.

Newt charged after the dragon. He saw Nathaniel barely holding it off, shooting jets of green light at it – he wasn’t trying to stun it anymore; he was aiming to kill. Newt planted his feet, squared his shoulders, and sent a stunning spell and this time his aim was true. The spell hit the dragon squarely in the eye. It’s head rocked to the side at the impact, bellowing in pain and Newt’s heart twisted at the sound. The dragon was turning, seeming to try to make its escape but then -

‘’Newt, look out!’’

Too late, Newt saw the dragon’s spiked tail whipping toward him. Then a sharp impact from the other side sent him sprawling to the ground and he watched in horror as the dragon’s tail hit Nathaniel instead, the spikes ripping over his chest, sending up sprays of blood. Nathaniel fell to the ground and lay there, motionless.

There was a great gust of wind as the dragon took off into the night. Newt rushed over to where Nathaniel lay, feeling sick. He kneeled on the ground beside him trying to assess the damage. He was breathing, thank heavens. But a great gash split his chest from hip to shoulder and he was bleeding copiously. Newt took off his coat and threw it over Nathaniel, at the same time pointing his wand at his case which he had left on top of the hill. ‘’Accio, case!’ he cried and his case zoomed over to him. He caught it by the handle, set it down on the ground and opened it. Trying to be as gentle as possible, he lifted Nathaniel inside. Well, he didn’t lift him so much as half-drag, half-carry him seeing as Nathaniel was a lot bigger than he was. He carried him down into the little room that served as his work station and heaved Nathaniel onto a little wooden chair. He rushed over to the shelf that had all his antidotes and grabbed several of them. Behind him, he heard Nathaniel groan. He hurried back to him and started to go to work. He ripped open what remained of Nathaniel’s shirt with shaking hands and poured some anti-venom solution on the wound. Ukranian Ironbellies weren’t known for having venom but you could never be too careful. Nathaniel hissed as the drops entered his wound but kept his eyes closed. Once Newt was done with the topical medicines, he took his wand and started to knit up the gash but stopped. His hand was shaking too much. Tears blurred his vision as he looked helplessly down at Nathaniel, covered in blood. This was all his fault. He bit his lip, trying to steel himself.

Nathaniel’s eyes fluttered open. ‘Newt?’’

Newt bent over him. ‘’Yes, I’m here.’’

‘’You okay?’

Newt let out shaky laugh. ‘’I’d say so seeing as I’m not the one bleeding to death.’’

Nathaniel smiled weakly, his face pale. ‘’Don’t worry. I’ve had worse.’’

‘’Hold still now. I’m just going to fix you up.’’ Getting his trembling under control, he set to work again, carefully closing Nathaniel’s wound. Newt was pretty good at it, usually having to work the spell on beasts and sometimes even on himself. Still, a Healer would’ve done a much cleaner job. Newt frowned, assessing his work. ‘’I’m afraid it’ll leave a scar.’’

‘’S’okay. I’ll just add it to my collection.’’ That debonair grin was back on Nathaniel’s face. Newt couldn’t see how he could be so flippant after having nearly gotten killed but returned the smile. He took another potion off the shelf. ‘’Here, drink this.’’ Nathaniel obeyed, wrinkling his nose at the taste.

Newt took a cloth and wet it in a bucket of water. He squeezed out the excess and went over to Nathaniel who was watching him carefully. ‘’Uh, for the blood,’’ he said, holding it out to Nathaniel. A wicked gleam came into Nathaniel’s eye. He lounged back in the chair holding Newt’s gaze. ‘’You do it, Scamander,’’ he said lazily. ‘’I’m sore all over I couldn’t possibly do it myself.’’

Newt gripped the washcloth quite hard, his knuckles turning white.

‘’Come on, Scamander,’’ Nathaniel taunted. ‘’After facing a dragon, a little spongebath shouldn’t be a problem.’’ He drew one of his hands idly down his chest, scratching his bare stomach. Newt gulped but went over and, not daring to look Nathaniel in the face, began to wipe the drying blood off his chest.

Newt was acutely aware of the feel of Nathaniel’s taut muscles beneath his hand as he worked. If his hand had been shaking before, it was nothing to what it was doing now. His whole body was trembling. He rubbed the dragonslayer with the washcloth carefully, starting from the top of Nathaniel’s chest and working his way lower and lower, wiping off the blood crusted on his rock-hard abdominal muscles.

When he got just below his navel, his hand stilled. He could hardly breathe. He looked up at Nathaniel. He was watching him closely, his eyes hooded. Newt felt as if he was being watched by a predator. He froze under that gaze, blinking at him helplessly.

Nathaniel’s hand came up and gripped his wrist. He rubbed his hand up Newt’s forearm, slowly and seductively. He took the washcloth from Newt’s hand and laid it on the table beside him. He brought Newt’s hand up to his mouth and gently brushed his lips across his knuckles. ‘’Thank you for saving me.’’

‘’You’re the one who saved me. You pushed me out of the way.’’

‘’So I did,’’ Nathaniel said. He was still holding Newt’s hand. He turned it over and pressed his lips to Newt’s wrist.

That familiar tingling sensation started in Newt’s stomach again, traveling straight down to his groin. His entire body felt tight and restless, as if his skin was going to burn right off. He gently pulled his hand out of Nate’s grasp. ‘’I should get everything cleaned up,’’ he stuttered. He collected the bottles and medicines and went to his work bench, busying himself with putting everything back in its place. He could still feel the imprint of Nathaniel’s lips on his wrist. His heart was beating harder than it had been when he had been battling the dragon. He felt sweaty and disoriented so he didn’t notice when Nathaniel came up behind him and pressed his hard body against Newt’s back.

Newt let out a startled gasp. He could feel Nataniel’s erection pressing against his backside, his hot, hard body engulfing him. His hands grasped Newt’s hips and he spun him around to face him. Before Newt could utter a feeble protest, the dragonslayer covered his mouth with his own.

He kissed Newt softly at first, the barest brush of lips on lips. Newt’s arms went around his neck automatically, causing Nathaniel to wrap his arms around Newt, crushing him to his chest, his kiss becoming rougher, deeper. Newt moaned as Nathaniel’s tongue swept into his mouth, setting off a spark that turned into an inferno scorching through Newt’s body. He clung to Nathaniel desperately as he kissed him back with all the longing, all the fever that had been building up in him ever since he had first laid eyes on the dragonslayer.

Nathaniel’s hands were on Newt’s ass now, gripping hard, as he ground his hips against Newt’s. Newt responded in kind, grinding back, powerless to stop his body from responding. Nathaniel growled in approval and then he lifted Newt clear off his feet and set him on the workbench, never breaking the kiss.

Newt wrapped his legs around Nathaniel’s waist, pulling him even closer. His hands traveled over Nathaniel’s bare chest, reveling in the feel of the hot hard muscles underneath his skin. Nathaniel brought his hand up and rubbed it against Newt’s cloth-covered crotch. Newt arched his back and moaned, thrusting up against Nathaniel’s hand, greedy for more contact. Nathaniel’s lips were on Newt’s neck, biting, sucking, driving Newt into a frenzy. He tugged at Newt’s shirt, tearing it down the front, sending buttons pinging down onto the floor. ‘’I’m going to fuck you right here,’’ he rasped in Newt’s ear. ‘’And you’re going to like it.’’

‘’Yes,’’ Newt panted. ‘’Yes.’’ There was nothing in Newt’s world now except the feel of Nathaniel’s hands on him, of his body pressing against Newt’s. No distractions, this time, no running away, no more excuses. Except-

A low, animal cry broke him out of his reverie. Nathaniel’s hand stilled over Newt’s cock. ‘What was that?’’

‘’Oh, that? That was, er-‘’ The cry started again and they both looked toward the little door that led out of the room – and into Newt’s case. Newt sighed. ‘’It would be easier if I just showed you.’’ Reluctantly, Nathaniel stepped away from Newt, allowing him to jump down from the workbench. His legs felt rubbery and he walked a bit unsteadily across the room to the door.

Newt opened the door and led Nathaniel into the heart of his case. Nathaniel’s mouth fell open in wonder as he took in the sight. Different habitats held a variety of different creatures. Newt began pointing them out. ‘Over here are mooncalves, there’s 12 of them. Oh, and over here is Daisy, my erumpent. Ah, these are Occamy eggs, they should be hatching soon…’’Newt babbled on excitedly. He had never had another human being enter his case before. It was odd. A week ago, he would never have considered the possibility of letting Nathaniel in here – but now it seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

He showed him the Bowtruckle tree and noticed that Pickett was sitting by himself on one of the branches, while the other bowtruckles gamboled around the trunk. They all halted and looked up at him as he approached. ‘’Now what have I told you all about leaving Pickett out?’’ he said sternly. Some of the bowtruckles shifted nervously. Poor Pickett had been deemed an outcast from the start for some reason and Newt couldn’t fathom why. Newt watched in satisfaction as the other bowtruckles reluctantly allowed Pickett to join their game.

He looked up to see Nathaniel watching him with a soft expression.

‘’What?’’

‘’You are..an extraordinary wizard, Newt Scamander.’’

Newt felt himself blush. ‘’Not really, actually. I know a hundred wizards who could have done a more competent expansion charm on the case – but I make do.’’

‘’I wasn’t talking about your magical ability, Newt.’’

‘’Oh,’’ Newt said. He became embarrassed again, and busied himself by going around and making sure all his creatures were fed and watered. Nathaniel followed him. ‘’We should probably set up a tent instead of going back to the tavern, you know, in case anything happens.’

Newt nodded. ‘’I’ve got one in the shed there. You want to set it up?’’

‘’Gladly,’’ Nathaniel replied. He headed back into the shed, still looking around Newt’s case as he went. Newt watched him go, an odd stuttering feeling in his chest. He turned back to his creatures.

Half an hour later, Newt headed back into the shed. He noticed some sketches and debris littering the floor. He frowned and then realized that it must have gotten shoved off when he and Nathaniel…

Newt looked over at the workbench where they had kissed. And Nathaniel had said he wanted to fuck him, right there and then. Newt’s face heated at the thought and he felt himself get hard. Was Nathaniel up there waiting for him? Did he still want to continue what had started down here? Newt felt a rush of excitement and he hurried to pick the stuff up off the floor. He hastily put it back on the workbench, not bothering to organize any of it when his eyes fell on the picture of Leta Lestrange. Her dark, cool gaze surveyed him, mocking him. Newt often wondered why he still kept her photo but every time he had tried to get rid of it, at the last moment, he couldn’t make himself do it.

Painful memories flooded through him as he looked at the photo. Memories of the way she had used him, led him on, making him think that she was his friend, that she cared about him. Newt’s excitement from a few minutes ago was gone. In its place was a cold, empty feeling. She was the reason he had never let himself get close to anyone. Was he about to make the same mistake with Nathaniel as he had with Leta?

No, Newt told himself firmly. Nathaniel wasn’t like that. He wouldn’t do what Leta did to him.

_How do you know?_ A little voice in Newt’s head whispered malevolently. _You knew Leta for years before she betrayed you. You haven’t even known Nathaniel for two weeks._

_You’d go to bed with a dragonslayer?_ The voice whispered mockingly and in his head the voice sounded like Leta’s. _You’d go to bed with a murderer?_

Newt shook his head trying to clear away the memories. But he couldn’t shake away the fear of getting hurt again. He would just have to lie to Nathaniel, tell him no.

He looked at the picture of Leta again, hating her, cursing her. Then he slowly headed up the ladder and out of his case.

Newt emerged in the middle of the tent Nathaniel had set up. It was modest, about the size of a small flat but with no rooms. Instead it was a large open space with curtains partitioning off different sections around the edge of the tent with an open space in the middle. In one of these partitions was a small bed and on the bed lay Nathaniel. He was looking up at Newt, one hand behind his head, the other hand at his mouth, his thumb stroking his bottom lip as he looked at Newt, his gaze dark. Newt couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight.

‘’Come here,’’ Nathaniel said softly.

‘’Actually,’’ Newt stammered. ‘’It’s been a long day, I should probably head to bed-‘’

‘’So,’ Nathaniel said shifting onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow and patting the space next to him, ‘’ come to bed.’’

Newt stared at him. His legs seemed to be acting of their own accord as they carried Newt over to the bed. Newt sat on the edge of the bed and took as long as humanly possible to unlace his boots. He gasped as Nathaniel’s arm snaked around his waist and he heard Nathaniel hiss into his ear, ‘’Would you just lie down already, you little tease?’’

Newt obeyed and lay there blinking up at Nathaniel. ‘’I’m not being a tease,’’ he said. ‘’I’m-I’m nervous.’’

Nathaniel grinned as he loomed over Newt. ‘’Can’t blame you.’’ Then he leaned down and nipped at Newt’s earlobe. ‘’I do seem to have that effect on people.’’

Newt tried to stifle a moan as Nathaniel began a thorough exploration of his neck with his tongue, his teeth, while at the same time rubbing Newt’s cock through his trousers, which were now uncomfortably tight.

With a groan, Nathaniel rolled over, laying his body right over Newt’s, capturing his mouth in a heated kiss. He ground his hips down on Newt’s and Newt thrust upward, meeting that delicious friction. Nathaniel groaned again, exploring Newt’s mouth with his tongue.

Newt didn’t think he could ever derive such pleasure from having a grown man lay on top of him but the feeling of Nathaniel’s body over his, feeling cocooned in his warmth…it was so good.

Newt felt him begin to undo the buttons that were still on his shirt. ‘You are wearing far too many clothes, Scamander.’’

He worked Newt’s shirt off and threw it on the floor and and caressed Newt’s bare chest with large, warm hands. Newt saw him frown. ‘’So many scars,’’ he said.

Newt huffed a laugh. ‘’One of the consequences of working with magical beasts.’’

‘’You mean _dangerous_ beasts,’’ Nathaniel said.

‘’No,’’ Newt said, shaking his head. ‘’You see that one?’’ He pointed to a scar just above his right hip. ‘’That ones from a Kneazle. I was cuddling with it and it was kneading me quite vigorously.’’

Nathaniel laughed and bent his head to kiss the scar. He found another one in the middle of Newt’s chest. ‘’And this one?’’

Newt was finding it hard to breathe steadily. ‘’Kn-narl quill.’’

Nathaniel kissed that one too. He raised himself to Newt’s shoulder. ‘’This one?’’ he asked, indicating a rather large scar that ran across Newt’s shoulder.

Newt smiled. ‘’Rampaging hippogriff.’’

Nathaniel laughed and kissed the scar gently, then ran his tongue down the length of it. Newt moaned. Nathaniel raised himself up on his elbows, took Newt’s face in his hands and kissed him tenderly. Newt, feeling a bit bolder, ran his hands down Nathaniel’s chest, feeling the smooth warm skin. He broke the kiss to say, ‘’You’ve got a lot of scars, too.’’

Nathaniel smiled down at him. ‘’Three guesses as to which kind of beast I got them from.’’

Newt ran his fingers along the fresh scar from tonight, standing out red and livid on Nathaniel’s chest. ‘’Does it hurt?’’

‘’No, love, it doesn’t hurt.’’

They gazed at each other for a long moment. Newt wasn’t great at reading other people’s expressions but there was a definite tenderness in the other man’s eyes. He felt vulnerable under that gaze. ‘’I think-‘’ he started to say.

‘’Shh,’’ Nathaniel said, leaning down to kiss him. ‘’Don’t think.’’

It wasn’t hard to obey with Nathaniel kissing him like that. He was vaguely aware of Nathaniel unbuttoning his trousers, working them down. He automatically raised his hips to help make it easier. Then Nathaniel was naked and they were pressing their bodies together and Newt thought he might die from sheer ecstasy. Nathaniel had Newt’s cock in his hand and worked his hand over it, making Newt throw his head back against the pillow and grip the sheets. The sound of Newt’s moans seemed to unleash something in Nathaniel. Roughly, he flipped Newt over on his side, facing him then lowered his head and took Newt into his mouth, sucking gently at first and then increasing the pressure. Newt had never experienced this before. No one had ever done this to him and it felt exquisite. Then he felt Nathaniel’s arm reach around to his ass and he felt him press a finger against his sensitive entrance. Newt gasped, tangling his hands in Nathaniel’s short hair. It was an incredible tickling, fluttering sensation that made his toes curl. Newt dug his nails into Nathaniel’s shoulder. ‘’I’m cl-close.’’

Nathaniel immediately stopped working Newt over. ‘’No,’’ he snarled, ‘’you don’t get to come until I’m inside you.’’

_Inside me._ Newt had a vague understanding of what Nathaniel meant by that but he wasn’t sure he was ready. Before he could protest, Nathaniel had flipped Newt over onto his stomach and, after muttering a lubrication spell, slid a finger inside Newt. Newt pressed his face into the pillow, moaning, his hips jerking up. Nathaniel caressed Newt’s back with one hand while he fingered him with the other. ‘’So tight, my little beast chaser. You’re going to feel so good.’’

Nathaniel slid another finger inside him. It was a little uncomfortable at first but after a few moments pain, the pleasure came rushing back tenfold. Nathaniel worked his fingers slowly at first, easing Newt open and then increased his pace. The wonderful fluttering sensation came back and Newt bit his lip to keep from screaming. Then Nate’s fingers disappeared and Newt whimpered at the feeling of emptiness. He wanted more, he wanted…

He was vaguely aware of Nathaniel muttering a couple of spells but had no idea what kind they were. Then he felt himself being flipped over again onto his back and Nathaniel was pushing his legs up, bending his knees. ‘’That’s it, love.’’

It wasn’t until Newt felt Nathaniel’s considerable girth pressing against his entrance that he began to panic. He was too big, he would hurt him, he was too close. A fleeting image of Leta’s mocking face flashed through his mind and he started pushing against Nathaniel’s chest, shaking his head, tears in his eyes. ‘’No-no.’’

Nathaniel immediately stopped, leaned over and grasped Newt’s face in his hands, forcing Newt to look at him. ‘’Hey, hey what is it? What’s wrong?’’

‘’I can’t,’’ Newt spluttered. ‘’I’ve never, I haven’t, I just can’t.’’ Tears were leaking out of his eyes now and he squeezed them shut and turned his face away.

‘’Newt, look at me.’’

Nathaniel’s hand was on his cheek, gently turning his face back towards him, wiping his tears away. ‘’We can stop if you want to, I’m not going to force you,’’ he whispered. ‘’But I promise that I’m not going to hurt you.’’

Newt’s lip trembled and he thought unwillingly of Leta again.

Nathaniel caressed his face. ‘’I’m not going to hurt you,’’ he said more firmly. Newt looked at him, considering. If they stopped now, Newt would lose the warmth of the dragonslayer, lose his kisses, his touch…Maybe if they kept going, it would be a mistake. But what if stopping right now was an even bigger mistake?

‘’Do you want me to stop?’’ Nathaniel asked.

Newt looked directly into his eyes and shook his head.

‘’Okay,’’ Nathaniel said. ‘’I’ll go slow.’’ He leaned down and kissed Newt gently, at the same time rocking his hips, pressing against Newt’s entrance. Inch by inch, he eased himself in. Newt trembled, the delicious feeling of fullness overwhelming him. Nathaniel stopped when he was all the way in, giving Newt time to adjust. He continued to kiss Newt all over, his lips, his cheeks, his jaw. ‘’You feel so good, so tight,’’ he moaned. ‘’Are you ready?’’

Newt nodded, not sure if he was but not wanting Nathaniel to stop.

Nathaniel began to move, slowly at first, barely moving his hips. Newt gripped Nathaniel’s shoulders and moaned softly.

‘’Feel good?’’ Nathaniel breathed.

‘’Mmmmm.’’

Nathaniel slid his hands down and gripped Newt’s ass. ‘’Hold tight, love.’’ Newt wrapped his hands around Nathaniel’s back. Nathaniel increased his pace, thrusting hard into Newt. Newt cried out, pain mixing with pleasure, creating a new, exquisite sensation. His breath was coming in short bursts, soft moans escaping him. Nathaniel caught Newt’s lips in his, and thrust his tongue into his mouth, mimicking what he was doing with his hips. Nathaniel moved even faster and Newt felt an earthquake building up inside him and then he cried out as his orgasm spilled over his stomach. Nathaniel groaned and, with a shudder, followed suit.

He collapsed on top of Newt, both of them breathing heavily. Nathaniel carefully withdrew himself and rolled over onto his back, pulling Newt with him so he was resting against his chest. He was still panting heavily. His breathing slowed and he smiled down at Newt. ‘’You alright?’’

Newt nodded, giving him a shy smile. What had just happened had been amazing but he couldn’t seem to find the right words to articulate his feelings.

Nathaniel trailed his hand slowly up and down Newt’s back. ‘’Was that really your first time?’’ he asked.

‘’Yes,’’ Newt said quietly.

‘’With anyone? Or just with a man?’’

‘’With anyone.’’

‘’Oh,’’ he said. His hand continued to stroke Newt’s skin. ‘’Did you like it?’’

Newt leaned over and kissed Nathaniel, slowly and languorously, trying to answer his question without words. Nathaniel seemed to understand, however, and he rolled Newt onto his back again, their kiss becoming more heated, their bodies pressing together.

It had been an exhausting day. Still, Newt didn’t get much sleep that night.


	5. Breakfast with a Side of Lust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after...

The next morning, the sun streamed through the canvas of the tent, casting a dim glow around the room. Newt blinked his eyes open, feeling sleepy and warm. He could feel Nathaniel’s big body behind him, his arms encircling Newt. Newt had never slept in the same bed with another person before. It was an odd feeling but Newt thought he could probably get used to it. His thoughts turned to the night before and a tingling warmth spread from his stomach to the rest of his body. So that’s why other people made such a fuss about sex…

He felt Nathaniel stir behind him. ‘’You awake?’’ he mumbled sleepily.

‘’Getting there,’’ Newt muttered, closing his eyes.

Newt felt the soft scrape of Nathaniel’s unshaven cheek as he rubbed his face against Newt’s back. Newt heard him yawn. ‘’I suppose we should eat something before.’’

Newt frowned. ‘’Before what?’’

‘’Before I ravage you again.’’ He nipped lightly on Newt’s shoulder, pressing against him.

Newt laughed. ‘’I think you’re forgetting we have a job to do.’’

Nathaniel groaned. ‘’We can afford to take a day off. It won’t kill us.’’

Newt finally rolled over. ‘’You really just want to stay in bed all day?’’

‘’Mmm, sounds tempting. But maybe not the whole day. We could go swimming at that lake.’’ He grinned at Newt. ‘’What do you say? You, me, a little naked swimming, a little lunch, then maybe we head to bed early…’’he trailed off, grinning wickedly. ‘’Besides, I’m still recovering from last night’s injury. You need to attend to me and nurse me back to health.’’

Newt rolled his eyes. ‘’Considering last night, I’d say you made a full recovery.’’

Nathaniel cocked an eyebrow. ‘’You think so do you? The question is, have you recovered from last night?’’ He drew his finger lightly down Newt’s cheek as he spoke.

Newt considered the question. ‘’I am a little bit sore actually.’’

Nathaniel sighed. ‘’Breakfast it is then.’’

Newt scrounged up some provisions from his case and they ate in bed, picking at the tray of food. Newt, feeling modest, put on a shirt and a pair of pants but Nathaniel remained naked, not even bothering to cover himself with the sheet. Newt tried to concentrate on eating but Nathaniel kept touching him – lightly brushing his fingers across his thigh, his arm, his back. It was the most arousing and frustrating breakfast that Newt had ever experienced. The final straw came when Newt got some blackberry jam on his fingers. He was just about to lick it off when Nathaniel grasped his wrist and lifted Newt’s hand to his mouth. He sucked on Newt’s fingers gently, his dark chocolate eyes gazing directly into Newt’s. Something like a whimper escaped from Newt’s throat.

It seemed to happen very fast after that. One moment, Nathaniel’s mouth had been covering his fingers, the next moment they were on Newt’s mouth. Newt tasted tart berries on his tongue, barely registering the fact that Nathaniel had torn his clothes off. Then he was being pushed onto his back, the breakfast tray crashing onto the floor and Nathaniel was above him, moving over him, thrusting into him. Newt was still sore from last night but it was a delicious kind of pain, one that made him claw at Nathaniel’s back and cry out, moaning at his every thrust. He wanted it to stop and he wanted it to go on. ‘’Please,’’ he moaned, aching, craving. ‘’Please.’’ He didn’t know what he was begging for.

But Nathaniel seemed to know. He grasped Newt’s hips, angling upwards, hitting that spot…Explosive pleasure spiralled through Newt’s entire body. He bit down on his lip to keep from screaming, his hands tangled desperately in Nathaniel’s hair. Nathaniel rode out Newt’s climax, thrusting into him hard, gasping Newt’s name as he came inside him.  
They lay there panting, the scent of sweat and sex mixing with the sweet smell of the blackberry jam. Nathaniel had some rubbed in his hair; Newt had smears of it on his back, chest, and face. Nathaniel smiled down at him, then bent his head to lick the jam off Newt’s cheek. ‘’Let’s go get cleaned up.’’

They each threw on some clothes and headed out to the lake. Black and glassy, it stretched out to the foot of the mountains on the other side.

‘’It’s going to be freezing,’’ Newt said.

‘’That’s what water-warming spells are for,’’ Nathaniel said.

‘’We can’t warm the whole lake with just the two of us.’’

‘’We don’t need to do the whole lake. Just a fraction of it.’’

He took out his wand, Newt following him. ‘ _’Aqua calida_!’’ they cried together.

A shimmer of blue light moved over about a third of the lake. Nathaniel dipped his hand in. ‘’Perfect,’’ he said.

‘’Were you really serious about swimming naked?’’ Newt asked.

‘’Well, I certainly didn’t bring a bathing costume, did you? Besides, it gives me an excuse to see you naked again.’’

Newt blushed, looking away.

‘’Let’s say we have a little race?’’

Newt looked at him. ‘’Race?’’

‘’Whoever gets their clothes off the fastest and is first into the lake, wins.’’

Newt marveled at Nathaniel’s competitive streak. ‘’Er-wins what?’’

‘’I think the prize should be determined by the winner.’’ He smiled and let his gaze travel over Newt’s body, looking at him hungrily.

‘’Ah, I see. What if someone sees us?’’

‘’What if someone sees us?’’ Nathaniel barked a laugh. ‘’Who on earth is here to see us?’’ He began to turn in a slow, exaggerated circle, one hand over his eyes as if he was scanning the area for hidden onlookers. As soon as his back was turned, Newt hurriedly but silently began to remove his clothes. He already had his coat and boots off and was just unbuttoning his waistcoat when Nathaniel turned back to face him. ‘’Wha-you little cheat!’’ Nathaniel said in mock outrage then began to shuck off his clothes at blinding speed. Newt fumbled the button on his trousers when Nathaniel removed his shirt, revealing his muscled torso. But even with a headstart, Nathaniel beat him. Tugging off his pants, he dived headfirst into the lake. He came up dripping, a huge grin on his face. ‘Looks like I win, Scamander,’’ he called. Poor Newt was standing on the shore with only his pants on, his arousal very obvious. ‘’Now take those pants off and get in here.’’

Newt slowly slid his pants down and kicked them off. Taking a running leap, he jumped into the lake. He came up, splashing water playfully at Nathaniel. The water was the perfect temperature.

‘’Come here,’’ Nathaniel growled and he wrapped his arms around Newt, kissing him deeply. Newt wrapped his arms and legs around Nathaniel’s body, returning the kiss. Nathaniel’s mouth traveled from his lips to his cheek to his shoulder, pressing soft kisses against his skin. After a while, they just held onto each other, drifting slowly around in the water. Newt rested his head against Nate’s shoulder, closing his eyes. He was still tired from last night. He felt incredibly peaceful. Being here in Nathaniel’s arms, in this warm mountain lake, Newt couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be. Newt sighed and dropped a light kiss on Nathaniel’s shoulder.

‘’Let’s go back inside,’’ Newt whispered.

Nathaniel gripped him tightly and before Newt knew what was happening, he was surrounded by crushing darkness and the next second, Nathaniel was carrying him inside the tent. Newt blinked. Nathaniel had apparated them back to the tent. Nathaniel tossed Newt onto the bed.

‘’What, didn’t want to walk the twenty feet?’’ Newt said.

‘’What’s the point of being a wizard if you’re not going to use it to your advantage,’’ Nathaniel said, grinning at him. He climbed on the bed and covered Newt’s body with his own. They were both still wet from the lake and Newt ran his hands over Nathaniel’s slick skin. He moaned as Nathaniel fisted their cocks in one hand, pumping them slowly. Newt, feeling brave, gently pushed Nathaniel on his back and began to kiss his way down Nathaniel’s wet chest. When he got down to the level of Nathaniel’s erection he paused, a bit unsure.

Nathaniel was looking down at him, his gaze dark. ‘’You don’t have to if you don’t want to..’’ he said, his breathing uneven. Newt glanced up at him. He could sense the lust and hunger in Nathaniel’s eyes, the same hunger that echoed through his own body. He had never wanted anyone like he wanted Nathaniel…not even Leta. He bent his head and tentatively licked the length of Nathaniel’s shaft. He heard Nathaniel’s sharp intake of breath. Feeling bolder, he wrapped one hand around the dragonslayer and took him into his mouth. He went slowly, doing his best to mimic what Nathaniel had done to him last night. The sound of the other man moaning was intoxicating. It was a good feeling, being able to pleasure Nathaniel like this. His own cock was stiff and leaking and when he thought of how Nate had felt inside him that morning, he moaned around Nathaniel’s cock and moved his head a bit faster. Soon, Nathaniel was pushing at his shoulder. ‘’Stop, stop,’’ he said panting. ‘’I don’t want to come yet.’’ Newt obeyed and suddenly, Nathaniel was yanking him upwards, crushing his mouth to his. He paused to wet two fingers in his mouth and then began to tease Newt's hole while Newt lay on top of him. Newt groaned loudly, burying his face in Nathaniel’s neck as he fingered him. ‘’So tight,’’ Nathaniel growled in his ear. ‘’So deliciously tight.’’

He rolled Newt over so that he was on his side with Nathaniel behind him. After muttering a few protection spells, he slowly slid himself inside Newt. He wrapped his arms around Newt, pulling him close and began to move. He kept his pace slow, reaching around to pump Newt’s cock. Newt thought he would die from the pleasure of it all. He pressed back against Nate, silently urging him to go faster. Nate read Newt’s signal and began to thrust harder, burying his cock deep inside Newt. Newt gasped and came hard, Nathaniel pumping into him, groaning at his own release. They lay there for a while in silence, until Newt fell asleep in the other man’s arms.

He awoke several hours later. Night had fallen and the tent was dark. He was confused for a second about what had jarred him from sleep when he suddenly became aware that Nathaniel’s arms were locked around him in a death-grip and he was breathing in great shuddering gasps. ‘’Nathaniel?’’ he said, putting a hand on Nathaniel’s arms. Nathaniel came awake, breathing hard, his body slicked with sweat. He seemed to not realize where he was. Then he looked down and saw Newt staring up at him. ‘’Sorry,’’ he said, giving Newt a shaky smile. ‘’Dreams about the war never seem to go away.’’

Newt lit a lamp and then turned to look back at Nathaniel. ‘’You fought in the war?’’

‘’Of course I did. Didn’t everybody?’’

Newt grimaced then nodded, remembering his own years of service. Nathaniel noticed the look on his face. ‘’What did you do?’’

Newt closed his eyes, trying to block out the memories but they all came rushing back. ‘’I worked with Ukranian Ironbellies on the Eastern Front. I was in a team of about fifty other witches and wizards. They…they were using them for their firepower but working with them was quite dangerous so it was agreed that…’’ Newt took a deep breath. ‘’It was decided that we would remove their fangs and claws to make them more…manageable.’’ A tear leaked from his eye and fell onto the pillow. ‘’We were ripping out their teeth and their claws so that _they_ would be less dangerous to _us_.’’

Nathaniel was looking at him sadly. ‘’I know about that,’’ he said softly.

‘’You do?’’

‘’Yes. I was recruited with a team of dragonslayers to capture dragons alive and then bring them to the front.’’

Newt gripped the pillow. He remembered seeing some of the dragonslayers one time bringing in a dragon. He couldn’t remember if he had seen Nathaniel then. He took a breath.

‘’I tried to change their minds but the majority was against me. I tried to soothe the dragons, look after them, try to alleviate some of the pain…after a while I couldn’t take it anymore. When they realized I was quite useless when it came to commanding the dragons, they transferred me out. I never did find out what happened to them after the war.’’

Nathaniel closed his eyes. ‘’Do you want to know?’’

Newt took his hand, gripping it tight. ‘’Yes.’’

Nathaniel took a deep breath and looked at Newt. ‘’There were about fifty dragons left when the war ended. About half were deemed salvageable and sold to the goblins to guard vaults at Gringotts. The other half…’’ he stared past Newt, a faraway look in his eyes. ‘’They were too crippled. Deemed useless. Our orders were to dispose of them.’’

‘’And you did,’’ said Newt.

Nathaniel nodded. ‘’I’ll never forget that day. No matter how hard I try.’’

They were silent for a few minutes, each lost in their own painful memories.

‘’Is that how you knew?’’ Newt asked. ‘’What kind of dragon egg that was the other day?’’

‘’What? Oh. No, I knew from..’’ Nathaniel sighed. ‘’It was a long time ago.’’

‘’What happened?’’

‘’Well, when I was about eight or so, my father started to take me on hunts with him. Not to participate or anything, just to observe. He said it would give me a head start. We went after a Ukranian Ironbelly, female. Turned out she had a clutch of eggs and I-well, I smuggled one home.’’ He let out a harsh laugh. ‘’I had this absurd notion that if I raised a dragon from an egg, I could tame it. But I wasn’t even looking after the egg properly. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned you had to keep it in a fire because their mothers breathe on them. So even if my father hadn’t found it, it wouldn’t have hatched.’’

‘’Your father found it?’’

‘’Oh, yes,’’ Nathaniel said. ‘’He was livid. Smashed the egg apart right in front of me and screamed at me about how dangerous dragons were and how they were basically mindless killing machines.’’

‘’Do you believe that?’’

Nathaniel looked at him, a hard look in his eyes. ‘’Maybe they’re not mindless killing machines but they are dangerous. I’ve lost friends to dragons, Newt. Family.’’ His voice faltered.

‘’Family?’’

‘’My mother,’’ Nathaniel said roughly. ‘’Died when I was five.’’

‘’A dragon-‘’

‘’Killed her, yes. She was on a hunt with my father. She was a slayer too. Done in by a bloody Horntail.’’

‘’I’m sorry.’’

‘’S’ok. I don’t remember her very well. She and my father were always off on a hunt, while I was being raised by our servants. Dad took her death pretty hard. I suppose he became a bit more of a fanatic because of it. That’s when he started to take me with him.’’ He fell silent. Newt didn’t like the look on his face. It was harsh and unfamiliar.

‘’Do you…like being a dragonslayer?’’

‘’Like it? I’ve never really thought about it,’’ he said. His voice sounded offhand but Newt noticed his hand gripping the sheet, twisting it. ‘’Besides, it’s the only think I know how to do.’’

‘’Have you ever considered an alternative?’’

Nathaniel snorted. ‘’Like what? Magizoology?’’

‘’No, not exactly.’’ Newt paused, wondering how best to broach the subject. ‘’I’ve had this idea in the back of my mind for a dragon sanctuary.’’

‘’A dragon _sanctuary_?’’

‘’Hear me out. It would be on a reserve of land far away from any human settlements where dragons would be free to roam and I thought maybe a team of wizards could be in charge of it, to look after the dragons-‘’

Nathaniel was shaking his head. ‘’Newt, no, it wouldn’t work-‘’

‘’Why not? If the killing of dragons continues at its current rate, in about a decade there will be no dragons left to slay and you and all the other dragonslayers will be out of a job. And if dragons die out, that’ll be devastating for the magical ecosystem. But who better to look after dragons than former dragonslayers? You know their habits, you know to take the proper precautions-‘’

‘’Proper precautions?’’ Nathaniel exploded. ‘’Proper precautions? You think it’s that easy do you? Think it’ll be like running a bloody muggle horse ranch? These are dragons we’re talking about, Newt. They can kill anything in a matter of seconds and you think they need to _protected_?’’

Newt looked at him. ‘’Well, it’s not like wizards are known for torturing dragons or anything, right?’’

Nathaniel’s jaw clenched and then flung the sheets back and stood up. He began to put his clothes on, his back toward Newt.

‘’Where are you going?’’ Newt asked him.

‘’Out,’’ Nataniel said shortly. He stormed out of the tent and Newt was about to call after him when he heard the crack as Nathaniel disapparated.


	6. Someday

Newt went down into his case to check on his creatures, trying not to think about his fight with Nathaniel. If he wasn’t so bloody biased he was sure he would be able to convince him that a dragon sanctuary could work and he wouldn’t have to slay them anymore. Newt knew his heart wasn’t in it. This would be a good thing. Nathaniel could work on the sanctuary and they could…what, exactly? Newt realized he hadn’t even thought about what would happen once they were done here. After this, would he ever see Nathaniel again?

The thought wasn’t a pleasant one. Newt sighed, his heart heavy and climbed up out of his case and into the tent. He shut his case and heard Nathaniel enter the tent. Nathaniel looked at him, then looked away. ‘Look, Newt, I’m uh – I’m sorry about earlier.’’

Newt nodded. ‘’Me too. I was thinking-‘’

‘’I mean, obviously this isn’t going to work between us.’’

‘’I-what?’’

‘’This thing,’’ Nathaniel said, gesturing between them. ‘’You and I and all that. I don’t know what I was thinking when I first-anyway, that doesn’t matter now. It boils down to the fact that you take care of magical creatures and I hunt dragons. We’re just never going to agree on anything.’’

Newt opened his mouth to protest but then stopped. With a pang, he realized that what Nathaniel was saying was true. Newt squared his shoulders. ‘’Yes,’’ he said quietly. ‘’I suppose you’re right.’’

A flash of something like hurt flared in Nathaniel’s eyes but then he smiled at Newt. But the smile looked more like a grimace. ‘’What do you say? Let’s just get this over with?’’

Newt nodded. All he wanted to do now was finish the job he had come here to do. Because the longer it took, the longer he would have to stay with Nathaniel – and the harder it would be leave him.

Newt turned around to lock his case.

‘ _’Petrificus Totalus_!’’

Newt felt his body go rigid, arms snapping to his sides and legs locking together. He felt himself fall but then a strong arm steadied him and he felt Nathaniel lift him onto the bed. Nathaniel sat beside him and sighed. ‘’I’m sorry, Newt,’’ he said sadly. ‘’Truly I am. But it’s too dangerous and the thought of something happening to you…’ he trailed off. Newt tried to say something but his teeth were locked together. The most he could manage was a small grunting noise.

‘’The spell should wear off in a couple of hours. By that time, the dragon will be dead and I’ll be gone.’’ He put his hand on Newt’s cheek, stroking his face gently with his thumb. ‘’I know you’ll hate me for this but it’s for the best. I – I’m going to miss you, beast chaser.’

 _No_! Newt screamed inside his head. _No, don’t do this_! But he made no sound.

Nathaniel gazed at him for another minute or so, his eyes roving up and down Newt’s face, as if he were trying to commit it to memory. Then he tore himself away and walked out of the tent. Newt heard the crack as he disapparated.

It was the longest two hours of Newt’s entire life. He strained and strained against the spell holding him in place, trying to move any muscle but he didn’t so much as twitch. It occurred to him suddenly that Nathaniel was a very powerful wizard indeed, to perform such a perfect spell. And now he was going out on his own to slay the dragon – something he had done countless times before, always emerging relatively unscathed. Newt didn’t want to imagine what Nathaniel was doing right at this moment but his mind ran wild. Maybe he was fighting the dragon right now. Maybe the dragon was already dead. Then a new more horrible thought occurred to Newt: what if the dragon had killed Nathaniel? What if this time, he had overestimated his skills and the dragon had won? An image of Nathaniel lying dead and bloodied on the ground swam into his mind. A tear leaked out of one of Newt’s eyes and he felt it slide down his face onto the pillow. The dragon dead, or Nathaniel? Which was worse? But Newt already knew the answer to that.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, he felt his stiff limbs begin to loosen up. When he could move again, he immediately got up out of bed – only to fall flat on his face, his muscles seizing. Newt forced himself to pause and stretch out his stiff limbs. Then, snatching his case, he raced out of the tent and disapparated.

He apparated to the place they had tracked the dragon to, the valley surrounded by mountain peaks. He climbed over the hill, straining to hear sounds of a battle, any noise at all – but all he could hear was the pounding of his own heart. He mounted the hill and looked down into the valley – and was astonished at what he saw.

In the center of the valley, was the dragon, alive and well, surrounded by her hatchlings. They all seemed to be sleeping peacefully while their mother watched over them. Newt scanned the valley for any sign of Nathaniel and with a start realized that he was sitting on the ground, not ten feet away, gazing at the dragons.

Newt slowly walked over to him and sat down beside him. They were silent for a few minutes and at last, Nathaniel spoke.

‘’I couldn’t do it,’’ he whispered. ‘’I just couldn’t do it.’’ He laughed but Newt noticed his eyes were glistening. ‘’I’ve made over a hundred kills in my career, did I ever tell you that? Over a hundred times I’ve done the very thing I set out to do tonight. I’ve killed full grown dragons and hatchlings and everything in between and _I don’t want to fucking do it anymore_.’’ He was gripping his wand very tight in both hands and Newt noticed a tear roll down his face.

Hesitantly, Newt reached up and brushed the tear away. At last, Nathaniel looked at him. Newt laid a hand on his cheek. ‘’You don’t have to do it anymore,’’ Newt said gently. ‘’Not if you don’t want to.’’

‘’It’s not that simple,’’ Nathaniel started to say but Newt interrupted him.

‘’Yes, it is that simple. I believe that. Just because you’ve been doing the same thing for years doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it. You can stop. You can start over.’’ He leaned in and brushed a gentle kiss against Nathaniel’s lips. He pulled back. ‘’I’ll help you.’’

Nathaniel nodded. ‘’I’m sorry about what I did earlier,’’ he said. ‘’I was only trying to protect you.’’

‘’I know,’’ Newt said. ‘’I know.’’ He kissed Nathaniel again and this time, Nathaniel gripped Newt’s shoulders and the kiss turned hungry, desperate. Newt felt himself falling under Nathaniel’s spell again, his blood singing underneath his skin at Nathaniel’s touch. Nathaniel nudged him until he was lying sprawled out on the grass, Nathaniel’s body over his. Newt felt Nathaniel’s arousal through his trousers pressing against his own. Nathaniel’s tongue was plundering his mouth relentlessly, as if he thought he was never going to kiss him again. Newt felt his hand slide between their bodies reaching down and gripping Newt tightly. Nathaniel began exploring Newt’s neck, biting and licking a path down to Newt’s chest where he began to remove his clothes. Newt groaned, tossing his head back – and then his eyes fell on the dragon. ‘’Um, Nathaniel?’’

‘’Mmm?’’

‘’Maybe we shouldn’t do this here?’’

Nathaniel looked up then followed Newt’s gaze over to the dragon. A devilish grin lit up his face. ‘’She doesn’t seem bothered by us so far,’’ he purred. He continued to remove Newt’s clothes and as he traveled further down Newt’s body, Newt stopped protesting.

It might have been by far the craziest thing he had ever done, Newt thought later, as he lay naked with Nathaniel in full view of the dragon. He had ended up on top of Nathaniel, riding him, slowly at first not wanting to attract the dragon’s attention, barely moving his hips at all and glancing over at the dragon every few seconds. But then Nathaniel gripped his hips tightly and began thrusting Newt upwards, burying himself deep inside him. Newt lost himself in the exquisite feeling and bucked his hips wildly, not troubling to stifle his moans of pleasure as he rode Nathaniel. They both came hard and fast after that and lay together, trembling and out of breath.

If the dragon noticed the two naked mammals mating in full view of her, she didn’t make anything of it.

‘’So,’’ Nathaniel said, when they were both able to breathe regularly again, ‘’tell me about this dragon sanctuary.’’

So Newt told him about his idea. What kind of place they would need, how big it should be, how many staff, how many supplies. He didn’t realize how much he had actually thought about it until he was voicing his ideas out loud. They headed back to the tent and Nathaniel sent letters to some of his former slayer friends to see if any of them were interested – and surprisingly, most of them were. One of Nathaniel’s friends who lived in Romania sent back a letter saying he had the perfect spot for it, out in the wide open away from muggles. A few of them promised to come to Wales in a few days to help transport the dragon.

While all this was going on, Newt and Nathaniel pitched their tent a little ways away from the dragon’s valley and stayed close to keep an eye on her and her brood. Newt was pleased to see that she didn’t seem to mind their presence at all, as long as they stayed away from her.

When he said this to Nathaniel he replied, ‘’Probably because we don’t pose enough of a threat – yet. It’s not going to be easy getting close to her when it comes time to transport her. But we’ve done it before.’’

It was a blissful few days for Newt. All he had to do was send a letter to the Ministry saying the dragon was taken care of, keep an eye on the dragon and his case full of creatures and spend time with Nathaniel. They spent most of their free time in bed.

But the day Newt was dreading finally came. Nathaniel’s team of dragonslayers arrived, a group of five witches and wizards bearing various scars and burn marks. But despite their fearsome appearance, they all seemed friendly enough. They all began the tricky task of subduing the dragon. But between the seven of them, it wasn’t too bad although one of Nathaniels’s friends did suffer a bad burn on his arm. ‘’Nothing I’m not used to,’’ he said afterward.

With the dragon unconscious and locked in a cage with her hatchlings, they mounted their brooms, bewitched the cage to make it feather-light and took off for Romania. Newt had decided to accompany them.

They arrived on a sweeping, grassy plain, surrounded by low hills. It really was the perfect spot for the sanctuary, Newt thought to himself. Far away from civilization with lots of space. Newt, along with Nathaniel, talked with the other dragonslayers going over the best spells to keep muggles away, how best to take care of the dragons, etc. To his delight, the other slayers seemed incredibly enthusiastic about the sanctuary, something that Newt was not expecting. He asked Nathaniel about it later.

‘’Well, I think they’re like me,’’ Nathaniel said. ‘’They were all burned out after the war, tired of killing. And most slayers have a certain admiration and respect for dragons. It’s not a big leap to make from killing them to protecting them.’’

‘’You’re really okay with doing this?’ ’Newt asked him.

‘’Okay with it? This is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me.’’

Newt blushed and looked away. He felt Nathaniel’s hand slip into his own, squeezing gently.

‘’Newt, I want to thank you, for showing me that there’s another way.’’

‘’It’s just part of my job, really. I want to educate other wizards about magical beasts.’’

‘’I hope you’re successful, I really do.’’

Newt had stayed there a week but the day finally came when he could delay his travels no longer. He had received an owl from one of his contacts, tipping him off about some nefarious trafficking practices in Africa. It was time for him to go. He told Nathaniel about it the night before he left while they were entangled together in bed getting ready to go to sleep. Nathaniel received the news solemnly, not saying anything. His only response was squeezing Newt closer to him and brushing his lips against Newt's forehead. 

The next morning, just after sunrise, Newt and Nathaniel stood on a little hill, overlooking the grassy plain. The dragon was with her hatchlings snuggling with them. Nathaniel’s friends were busy building a cabin that would allow them to live in something other than a tent.

And Newt found that he didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay here with Nathaniel and help him look after the sanctuary. He turned to Nathaniel. ‘’I…’’

‘’I know,’’ Nathaniel said, turning to him. He slipped his arms around Newt’s waist and drew him close. ‘’I want you to stay more than anything. But you’ve got beasts to save and a book to write. You can’t settle in one place just yet, Newt Scamander.’’

Newt nodded, his stomach twisting. ‘’Will you write to me?’’

‘’Of course, I will. I’ll tell you all about the adventures of Nathaniel Blackburne, former dragon slayer.’’

Newt chuckled.

‘’And you’ll send me a copy of your book when it comes out? An advanced copy?’’

‘’Yes, I definitely will except…’’

Nathaniel frowned. ‘’Except what?’’

‘’Except I was hoping I could deliver it to you in person,’’ Newt whispered shyly.

Nathaniel smiled and squeezed him tighter. ‘’I’d like that very much.’’

They looked at each other then for a full minute not saying anything because there was too much that was still unsaid. Finally, Nathaniel leaned in and gave Newt a gentle kiss, the barest brush of lips on lips. ‘’Go,’’ he breathed, ‘’go while I can still stand the thought of you leaving.’’

Newt stepped back out of Nathaniel’s arms. He opened his mouth to say goodbye but just looked at him instead.

Nathaniel offered him a sad smile. ‘’We’ll see each other again, beast chaser.’’

With a final look, Newt turned on the spot and disapparated. And in that moment he was sure he felt his heart break.

Newt apparated just outside the Leaky Cauldron, planning on picking up a few things in Diagon Alley before he made his way to Africa. He leaned against the wall of the building, taking a shaky breath. There was a lump in his throat that he was trying to swallow and his eyes were wet. Pulling himself together, he brushed a hand quickly over his eyes and cleared his throat. Then he opened the door of the pub and went inside.

***

Nathaniel stood looking at the spot Newt had disapparated from for a full five minutes. He knew it was foolish to hope Newt would come back, even if for a minute, but he waited anyway. Finally he turned away and began to walk across the field. Even though his heart was heavy thinking about Newt, it lightened a bit when he thought about where he was and what he would be doing from now on. No more killing, no more bloodshed. A life protecting the ones who really needed to be protected – not muggles, not wizards but dragons. If nothing else, he would always be grateful to Newt for showing him another way, another mindset. His chest tightened as he thought of the look on Newt’s face just before he left. But he made himself breathe and he let himself hope – hope that they would meet again, hope that they would be able to have more time someday.

Someday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Nathaniel WILL RETURN...I'm just not sure when. Thanks to those who have read this far and please stay tuned!
> 
> I'd also like to take this opportunity to give a big shoutout to my Best Friend (you know who you are). If it wasn't for your support, encouragement, and enthusiasm for this story, I never would have written it, let alone posted it for other people to read. Thanks for being so supportive of me and all my crazy story ideas - I love ya


	7. Newt in New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt heads to New York City, not knowing the adventures that await him there. And even though he's all the way across the ocean, his heart remains with Nathaniel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit this is sort of a weird chapter. I wanted to incorporate some things from the Fantastic Beasts film into my own story and it also provides the perfect explanation for why Newt and Nathaniel haven't been able to see each other in months. So what follows is a prequel of sorts before Newt arrives in New York and then a series of short vignettes taken from the movie that I have adapted for the purposes of my own story. 
> 
>  
> 
> I tried to be as compliant with the canon film as possible but I obviously had to make some changes to suit my story. Hope you enjoy and I promise more (proper) chapters will follow shortly.

Newt stood on the deck of the ship, looking out over the vast blue ocean. The wind ruffled his untidy hair and he raised a hand, pushing it back absentmindedly. He thought, for the thousandth time, whether he had made the right decision, heading off to New York before going to visit Nathaniel. Guilt and longing stirred inside him. He hadn’t visited Nathaniel since he had first helped him set up the dragon sanctuary in Romania and that had been months ago. They had written quite frequently (or Nathaniel had anyway, Newt  thought, another wave of guilt consuming him.) Nathaniel asked in his letters again and again if Newt would come visit him. And, again and again, Newt had had to keep delaying his trip. He had spent quite a few months in Africa, longer than he intended. But there was that whole disastrous business with the Obscurial and then he had found poor Frank the Thunderbird, in chains, near death.

He had explained all this in his most recent letter to Nathaniel and he was sure the other man would understand. His letters were always full of patience. _I know you’re quite busy…working for the Ministry is tough…visit me when you can…I’d really love to see you…_

_I’d really love to see you_

That phrase had been in Nathaniel’s last letter and Newt had lost track of how many times he had read it, unfolding the letter, scanning it until his eyes lit upon the words. He felt a strange ache every time he read it. He felt the ache anytime he read any of Nathaniel’s letters, anytime he even __thought__  of him. He would be going about his day, eating or traveling, or tending to his beasts, and an image of Nathaniel would flash through his mind and Newt would pause, feeling a tightness in his chest. He had never really missed another person before. At least not this much.

Newt sat down on a bench, feeling utterly miserable. What if Nathaniel got tired of waiting? What if…what if he met someone else? The thought of Nathaniel being with another person made him feel slightly queasy. And he wasn’t exactly sure where they stood with each other. Relationships weren’t exactly his forte.

He closed his eyes, picturing Nathaniel before him, smiling at him. He opened his arms and Newt tried to get up and go to him but for some reason he seemed to have lost command of his body. His legs felt like they were encased in lead. He looked at Nathaniel desperately, willing him to help but he was staring at someone else now, a woman with long dark hair who was putting her arms around him and Nathaniel was embracing her…

Newt’s eyes snapped open and he gazed out at the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, the colours of the sky resembling the shell of a Fire Crab. He squinted, shading his eyes with his hand. There was a black dot on the horizon, moving closer. Was that…another ship? As it moved closer, Newt’s mouth fell open. It wasn’t just any ship - it was a pirate ship with billowing black sails. And on the prow of the ship, brandishing a cutlass…was  _Nathaniel?_

Newt got to his feet, moving to the railing. He could see Nathaniel clearly now. He was in full pirate’s regalia, a ruffled shirt underneath his long, dark coat, a tricorn hat perched at a dashing angle on his head, and even an eye patch. (But thankfully no peg leg.)

‘Avast there, matey,’ he called out. He swung onto the deck, still waving the cutlass, snarling at the passengers. People screamed and ran about the deck, panicked, shouting about pirates but Newt only stood and watched as Nathaniel finally spotted him and strode over to him, grinning wickedly.

Newt smiled, a bit puzzled. ‘What are you doing?’

‘I had to get your attention somehow, didn’t I?’ he asked airily. He threw his cutlass to the side where it clattered on the deck. Then he snaked an arm around Newt’s waist, pressing him flush against his hard body.

Newt felt his own body respond and his eyes fluttered closed. Finally, after months of thinking about it, he would get to kiss Nathaniel again…

He felt a sharp jab on his shoulder. Newt opened his eyes and looked at Nathaniel, frowning. Nathaniel had his wand in his hand and he was jabbing Newt in the shoulder with it.

‘Nathaniel?’

Another jab.

‘What are you-’

Jab.Jab. Jab.

‘Nathaniel, stop _poking_ me, that hurts.’

But Nathaniel continued to poke Newt in the shoulder with his wand, his face completely devoid of expression.

Newt began to get angry. ‘Would you-’

‘Hoot,’ Nathaniel said.

Newt shook his head, sure that he had heard wrong. ‘What?’

Another jab, harder this time, and Newt startled awake.  He turned to see an owl sitting on the arm of the bench, pecking him insistently on the shoulder.

‘Hoot,’ it said.

‘Oh, hello,’ Newt said, ‘so sorry, must have dozed off. Is that for me?’ He indicated the letter tied to the owl’s leg. The owl hooted again and held out its leg so Newt could untie the letter. The owl ruffled its feathers importantly but remained where it was.

‘You look  a bit tired. Maybe you should rest for awhile.’

The owl hooted wearily. Newt took the owl and gently slipped it into his case. ‘You’ll find some food in there,’ Newt said to it. ‘Rest up now.’ The owl gave him one more grateful hoot and Newt shut his case.

He was completely oblivious to the portly muggle man staring at him from across the deck. Surely, he hadn’t just seen that man put a __live owl__ in his suitcase? The man walked off in search of some shade, convinced that the sun had addled his eyesight.

Newt opened the envelope and slipped out the letter, his hands shaking slightly. He unfolded it and glanced down at the now familiar handwriting.

_Dear Newt,_

_Glad to hear things went smoothly in New Guinea. Or as smoothly as they can go for a ~~beast chaser~~ magizoologist. _

_I was really looking forward to seeing you but I understand you can’t put off your trip to America any longer. Poor Frank deserves to be home in the wide, open skies. By the way, I’m curious to know exactly why you named the thunderbird Frank. You still haven’t told me. You know, Nathaniel might not be such a bad name for one of your beasts. Just don’t name one of those giant dung beetles after me, all right?_

Newt grinned at that and read on.

_Things are going well here at the sanctuary. We finally got all the legal stuff sorted at both Ministries, got all the permits. (It only took so bloody long because, before we came along, there was no such thing as a permit for a dragon sanctuary.) It’s lucky we had Basil to help us wrangle all the paperwork. You met him when we transported the Ironbelly. Skinny bloke, bit twitchy._

_We’ve been able to add a few more dragons to our sanctuary. We just rescued a Norwegian Ridgeback so as of now we’ve got the Ridgeback, the Ironbelly and her three hatchlings, and a Welsh Green. We’ve had reports of a Chinese Fireball being targeted for slaughter so a couple of us will probably head down to Asia soon. Not me, I’ve got my hands full with the Ironbelly and her hatchlings. It’s funny, she’s a bit wary of everyone except me. (Maybe you have to get naked in front of an Ironbelly to earn their trust.)_

Newt felt himself blush as he remembered his and Nathaniel’s idiotic decision to have sex in full view of the dragon that one night. Still, they had emerged unscathed and the dragon hadn’t seemed too bothered by it. And it had been rather…exciting…

Newt took a moment to compose himself and continued to read.

_They’re really fascinating animals, Newt. We actually got to witness the Ironbelly teach her hatchlings how to fly. I wish you could have been there. After a few crash landings, they were finally airborne. The lot of us ran around underneath them like maniacs, whooping and clapping, cheering them on. The mother looked quite pleased. I don’t remember much of what happened after that because we all had a few drinks to celebrate and ended up getting smashed. Not uncommon among a group of dragonslayers. Old habits die hard, I guess. At least we’re not celebrating kills anymore._

_I hope you’re doing well, Newt. Your book sounds like it’s coming along, judging by your last letter. (Are you still planning on delivering my copy in person? I hope so.)_

_See you when you get back._

_Cheers,_

_Nathaniel_

_PS - Her name is Serafina._

Newt frowned at the postscript. Who was Serafina? He scanned the letter again in case he had missed something. But there was nothing that alluded to someone named Serafina. He looked back in the envelope to see if there was anything he had missed - and there was. Newt lifted it out to see not another piece of parchment, but a small photograph. Nathaniel was beaming up at him and in his arms was one of the Ironbelly hatchlings, now grown to the size of a large terrier. Newt watched as Nathaniel gave him a cheery wave and the dragon snuggled closer to Nathaniel, her sharp claws tearing little rips in his shirt. He must have named the hatchling Serafina. Newt would definitely need to ask the reason behind that name.

Newt stared down at the photo hungrily, leaning over it as if hoping he could fall into it and join Nathaniel. Having a photograph of him was half-blessing, half-curse. On the one hand, he could look at Nathaniel whenever he wanted, for as long as he wanted. On the other hand, it was still a poor substitute for actually being with the real-life man.

Newt scanned the letter again, his eyes lighting on certain phrases. _I was really looking forward to seeing you…I wish you could have been there…see you when you get back._ It would probably be weeks before he was back in England and it would probably be a couple of more weeks after that before he could travel to Romania.

Newt looked at the photograph of Nathaniel again. That familiar ache bloomed in his chest, and for a few seconds he had to remind himself to keep breathing. Then, sighing, he tucked the photo and the letter away in the inner pocket of his coat.

***

Newt watched, a bit dubiously as the tall skyscrapers of New York City came into view. Beside his feet, his case wobbled. He picked it up, placing the case in his lap. ‘Dougal,’ he scolded gently, ‘settle down now, please. Won’t be long.’ He rested his chin on his case and thought of Nathaniel, wishing for - what he wasn’t sure exactly. That he had invited him along? That he was in Romania with him? All he knew was that he was sick of being so far away from him.

***

Going through customs was a nerve-wracking experience to say the least. It didn’t help that the customs agent was a stern, unsmiling man. Newt let his gaze wander around the station as the customs agent checked his passport. He gave terse answers to the agent’s questions. ‘Anything edible in there?’ the man said, indicating his case. Newt absently touched his coat in the spot where he had Nathaniel’s photo in his inner coat pocket. It calmed him down a little bit. ‘No,’ he answered

***

Passing through a crowd, he accidentally jostled a woman eating a hot dog. ‘So sorry,’ he murmured. As he was making his way through the crush of bodies, a voice called out to him. ‘You,’ she said, ‘friend. What drew you to our meeting today?’

‘Oh, I was just passing,’ Newt stuttered.

‘Are you a seeker?’ she asked fervently. ‘A seeker after truth?’

‘I’m more of a chaser, really,’ Newt said. __Beast chaser,__ Nathaniel’s voice echoed in Newt’s head and Newt could just see the wicked grin on his face as if he were standing right beside him, leaning over to whisper in Newt’s ear. Newt suppressed a grin.

***

‘Petrificus Totalus!’ Newt cast the spell at the muggle banker wearing the impeccable suit. He did hate using it, especially because, thanks to Nathaniel, he was only too aware of its painful aftereffects. But this seemed a good time to use it.

***

Newt only half-listened to Tina berate him as she dragged him across the city. How had he landed in this mess? He needed to get Frank to Arizona so he could get back to England and then back to Nathaniel. If he landed in any more trouble, he might end up in a MACUSA cell, stuck there for weeks while bureaucracy took its sluggish course. He wondered if he should try a different tactic. ‘Sorry but I do have things to do, actually,’ he said huffily.

‘Well, you’ll have to rearrange ‘em,’ she snapped, tugging Newt along. Newt walked miserably alongside her. He would just have to keep his eyes open for any opportunity to escape.

***

Newt tried several times to escape Tina’s grasp but to no avail. Now he had ended up in her apartment of all places. While they were busy preparing for dinner, Newt tiptoed toward the door. He almost had his hand on the doorknob when he heard Tina’s voice. ‘Well, sit down, Mr. Scamander.’ Even Mr. Kowalski, the muggle, indicated he should sit in the chair next to him. Reluctantly, Newt stepped away from the door and sat down at the table.

***

Newt busied himself at his workbench, mixing up the antidote for the muggle’s murtlap bite. He tried to keep his mind on his task but unfortunately his mind kept wandering back to what had happened on this very workbench the last time Nathaniel was here. He had been injured too, and Newt had looked after him and then they had shared their first kiss. And they had almost gone on to do a great many other things that Newt was definitely not thinking about right now. Still, he kept his back to Mr. Kowalski as he took several steadying breaths, forcing his mind away from Nathaniel.

***

Newt stood in the execution room, watching helplessly as Tina sat in the chair floating over the death potion. Was this it? Was this really how it was going to end for him? He throat worked as he thought of the fate that awaited his creatures if he wasn’t there to protect them. And he’d never see Nathaniel again…

Newt’s eyes burned and he clenched his fists. No. He was not going to die here in this cold room with people he didn’t even know. He felt Pickett crawl down his sleeve and onto his hands, the bowtruckle’s nimble fingers releasing the locks on his chains.

One of the witches approached him. ‘Okay, let’s get the good stuff outta you,’ she said calmly, raising her wand to his temple. Nathaniel’s face flashed through his mind and then Newt was moving, shoving the witch away and disarming the other one.

***

‘She was a taker,’ Queenie said to him softly. ‘You need a giver.’ Newt looked away, deliberately not thinking of the one person who had been able to usurp Leta’s place in his heart. The fact that Queenie knew about Leta was disturbing but of little consequence at this point. But Nathaniel he wanted to keep for himself.

***

At last, he was almost on the boat headed for home. Tina accompanied him to the dock.

‘Well, it’s been-’ he started to say.

‘Hasn’t it?’ she answered eagerly.

Newt trailed off. He wasn’t exactly sure what to say. He liked Tina and would even consider her a possible friend. But there was something about the way she was looking at him that made him a little bit uncomfortable. He remembered seeing the same expression on Nathaniel’s face  when he had last said goodbye. Tina was standing there, looking at him expectantly. Then Newt remembered that some people expressed friendship by showing platonic signs of affection. Should he hug her? No, that seemed a bit much. Instead, he reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind Tina’s ear. There, that should show the right amount of brotherly affection. But now Tina was looking at him with a slightly awed expression and Newt wondered if he had misjudged the situation entirely. It wouldn’t be the first time.

He said a hasty goodbye and went to board the boat. His heart pounded with excitement and anticipation. At last, he was going home. At last, he was going back to Nathaniel.


	8. Before He Met the Beast Chaser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathaniel gets recruited for a dragon hunting job in Wales...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's probably obvious by the title but I just want to emphasize that this is a PREQUEL chapter from Nathaniel's POV just before he met Newt. So yes, this is another weird chapter but I promise the story will pick up again in the next one! Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

Nathaniel was halfway through his ninety-fifth sit up when he heard a knock at the door. He stilled, cocking his head, listening. If he didn’t make any noise, the visitor would just give up and go away.

The knock came again, more insistent this time.

‘Nate?’ a familiar voice called. ‘Come on, I know you’re in there.’

Grumbling, Nathaniel got to his feet and stomped across his flat to open the door. Basil was standing there, looking irritable.

‘How’d you know I was home?’ Nathaniel asked.

‘I didn’t’ Basil said. ‘I guessed.’

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. Basil took in his shirtless appearance, the sweat glistening on Nathaniel’s chest. He peered past him, trying to see into the flat. ‘Um, am I interrupting anything?’

Nathaniel shrugged. ‘I was just exercising.’

Basil raised an eyebrow. ‘By yourself, or with a partner?’

‘You know I wouldn’t have opened the door if I was with anyone.’

Basil nodded. ‘Fair enough.’

Nathaniel opened the door wider, wordlessly inviting Basil in. Basil followed him into the flat and closed the door behind him.

‘Don’t mind if I continue my routine, do you?’ Nathaniel said over his shoulder. ‘I’m in a bit of a rhythm.’

‘By all means, my friend,’ Basil said carelessly, collapsing onto Nathaniel’s threadbare sofa, looking exhausted.

Nathaniel resumed his spot on the floor in front of the sofa and began to do a series of rapid push-ups. Basil watched him in silence for a few seconds.

‘Is this the plan, then?’ he said. ‘Going to exercise yourself to death?’

‘Well, if I don’t die from it, I’ll be in smashing form, won’t I?’ Nathaniel grunted.

‘I suppose,’ Basil said. ‘I think Lydia’s trying to paint herself to death.’

Nathaniel paused and looked over at his friend. ‘I thought she was trying to sculpt herself to death.’

Basil shrugged. ‘That was last year. She kept blowing them up when she was halfway through.’

‘By accident or on purpose?’

Basil gave him humorless smile. ‘What do you think?’

‘I think she’s going to end up with a lot of ripped-up canvases.’

Basil started chewing at his thumbnail. ‘You know, maybe I should take up painting or something. I don’t think the job at the Ministry is enough to keep me from casting the killing curse on myself.’ He let out a strained, high-pitched giggle.

Nathaniel rose out of the push-up and sat back on his heels, staring at Basil. Basil’s eyes were darting around the apartment, gnawing at his thumbnail, a horrible grin fixed on his face. Nathaniel felt the familiar stirrings of frustration and helplessness as he watched his friend. He sighed.

‘Drink?’ he offered.

All the tension seemed to leave Basil’s body as he slumped back on the sofa and rubbed a hand across his eyes. ‘God, I thought you’d never ask.’

Nathaniel got up and went to the kitchen to make the drinks. His cupboards were mostly bare but he always had a bottle of Firewhiskey on hand. His once-daily trips to the Leaky Cauldron had become weekly so he supposed that was some sign of improvement.

He took the time to throw on a fresh shirt before he carried the drinks over to Basil and handed him a glass. When Basil took it, Nathaniel noticed his hands were trembling. ‘Cheers, mate,’ Basil said wearily, raising his glass slightly before tipping it back and draining half of it in one gulp.

Nathaniel sat beside him, sipping his own drink. ‘So how  _is_ the the job at the Ministry?’

Basil leaned back against the sofa and sighed. ‘Oh, you know a lot of paperwork. Coordinating dragonslayers is tough because there’s just not that many working full-time anymore.’ He gave Nathaniel a pointed look. ‘But,’ he continued, ‘it’s definitely better than being out in the field. I couldn’t do it anymore, myself.’

‘I know,’ Nathaniel said quietly. He watched as Basil went silent, staring off into space. He wondered if Basil was remembering the same thing he was.

After the war, when they were tasked with ‘disposing’ of the dragons, Basil had been assigned to kill all of the hatchlings. He had argued against it but their captain wouldn’t hear of it. So Basil had took his wand and cast curse after lethal curse on the hatchlings while Nathaniel and the others took care of the fully grown dragons. Nathaniel had found him afterwards, kneeling in the remains, screaming like he was being put under the Cruciatus curse. It had taken several doses of calming potion to get him to stop.

Nathaniel looked at his friend sadly. He had gone to school with Basil, grown up with him. They had traveled the world together, hunting dragons. Basil had always been the jester, wielding his humor with the precision of a swordmaster, able to make anyone laugh, no matter how badly they were feeling.

And then the war had come and destroyed him. Destroyed all of them.

Now when Basil made a joke, it was dark, made with a twisted, sardonic smile. A far cry from the boy who had once walked around school with fifty hats piled on top of his head for a laugh.

Basil seemed to come back to himself and he glanced at Nathaniel. ‘I’ve got a job for you.’

‘No.’

‘You haven’t even heard what it is yet!’

‘I don’t need to, Baz,’ Nathaniel said. ‘I’m not taking a job right now.’

Basil glared at him. ‘You haven’t taken one in months. And I wouldn’t be asking you if I didn’t need to, you know that. We’re spread pretty thin at the moment.’

‘There must be someone else you can ask.’

‘Well, I tried asking Thorne-’

‘Thorne!’ Nathaniel shot to his feet and started pacing around in front of the sofa. ‘For the love of Merlin, Baz, why’d you have to ask that slimeball? I told you what he did.’

Basil sighed. ‘Look, I know he’s an asshole and he’s unethical and all that other stuff but as I said, we’re spread pretty thin. And he’s one of the only dragonslayers left who takes on jobs regularly. But he’s on another assignment right now so he can’t do it.’

Nathaniel clenched his fists. ‘Well, what about Lydia?’

‘She turns me down a lot, too,’ Basil said, a trace of bitterness in his voice. ‘She’s too busy painting her feelings.’ He looked at Nathaniel thoughtfully. ‘You know, maybe you could both go…’

Nathaniel rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Probably not a good idea,’ he said, avoiding Basil’s gaze.

‘Are things still…weird between you two?’

Nathaniel sat back down on the sofa, sighing. ‘Not weird, just different I guess. We meet up for drinks at the Cauldron occasionally. But we don’t really have a lot to talk about so we just rehash old school memories over and over again.’

‘And is that all you rehash?’ Basil asked, the corner of his mouth turning up in what could almost be called a smile.

Nathaniel looked away, shrugging. ‘Old habits die hard.’

The truth was, every time he met up with Lydia, he always told himself beforehand that nothing was going to happen, that it was time for things to become strictly platonic between them. But, every single time, after a few drinks, she would put her hand on his thigh and look at him with that smoldering gaze and she would end up in his bed or he in hers. Nathaniel was fully aware of why they were both doing it. Because they knew each other, because it was familiar, because they were both looking for something to make them feel a little less alone. They hadn’t been in a proper relationship with each other in years. Nathaniel had even thought at one point that they were going to get married. But he had never gotten around to asking and then the war had come and now they couldn’t be around each other for too long without dredging up painful memories. So now they used each other for physical release and Nathaniel felt like shit afterward. Every single time. And he was pretty sure Lydia felt the same.

He looked back at Basil who was gazing at him with an expression that looked almost like pity.

‘I’d still call her my friend, Baz,’ he said. ‘But I don’t think we could work together again.’

Basil nodded. ‘Understandable.’ He sighed, looking around the room. ‘Ran into your father the other day,’ he said.

Nathaniel wondered if the change of subject was on purpose. ‘And?’ Nathaniel asked, his tone cautious.

‘Oh, he almost gave me a bloody heart attack. Snuck up on me at the Ministry while I was heading up to my office. Just got out of a meeting with the Minister. He asked about you, you know.’

‘I figured he might,’ Nathaniel said. ‘What did you say?’

‘I said I hadn’t talked to you in months and that I didn’t know where you were.’

‘Do you think he believed you?’

‘No,’ Basil said. ‘But he could hardly force Veritaserum down my throat, could he?’

‘You’d be surprised,’ Nathaniel said. ‘Thank you,’ he added. ‘For not telling him where I was.’

Basil shrugged. ‘I’m not about to get involved in your family drama. Still, you’ve got to start talking to him again sometime, haven't you?’

‘Not anytime soon,’ Nathaniel said, an edge in his voice.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Nathaniel would be damned if he were the one to make the peace offering with his father.

‘So will you take the job?’ Basil asked. There was an almost pleading note in his voice.

Nathaniel’s shoulders slumped and he sighed. ‘Where is it?’

‘Wales, I think.’ Basil reached into his inner coat pocket and drew out a piece of parchment. He frowned at it. ‘Yeah, it’s in Wales. Welsh Green by the sounds of it.’

‘Shouldn’t be too hard, then.’

‘Oh and they’ll be sending some Ministry official from the Beast regulation department.’

‘What? Why?’

‘No idea. I wasn’t there when the decision was made. Proper oversight and all that, I suppose.’

‘I guess,’ Nathaniel said dubiously. He’d never been accompanied on a hunt by a Ministry official before. His mind flashed to his last hunt with Thorne. Maybe official Ministry oversight wouldn’t be such a bad thing. ‘Who is it?’

‘Dunno, Scamandish something-or-other. Never met him, he’s off in the field a lot from what I hear. Writing some sort of guide to magical creatures.’

‘Like an extermination guide?’

‘Must be, what else would he write about?’

Nathaniel shrugged. He was already beginning to regret taking this job. Basil handed him the piece of parchment. It had a time, date, and name of a pub where he was supposed to meet the Ministry official. The date of the meeting was for the day after tomorrow.

‘How much am I getting paid?’ he asked.

‘Usual rate.’ Basil stood up from the sofa, stretching his arms above his head, yawning. ‘I’ve gotta get back to the Ministry. Forms to fill out. Very important.’

Nathaniel absentmindedly twisted the piece of parchment between his fingers. ‘Yeah, I guess I should prepare for the trip.’

He walked Basil to the door.

‘Thanks for taking the job, mate,’ Basil said in a tired voice. ‘I was really in a bind there.’

‘No problem,’ Nathaniel said. He hesitated. Then he said, ‘We should meet up for drinks sometime or something…’ He trailed off.

‘Yeah, or something,’ Basil said. They looked at each other and both knew that there would be no effort to meet up from either of them. Just like with Lydia, being around Basil dredged up memories he’d rather not relive. They were all trying to forget, to heal. But the healing came at the cost of their friendship.

Nathaniel took in the haunted look that still remained in Basil’s eyes all these years later. He had dark circles casting shadows under his eyes and his typically skinny frame was practically skeletal, his cheekbones so sharp they looked like they were about to cut through the flesh of his face. Nathaniel knew that if it wasn’t for his punishing exercise routine, he would look exactly the same. Maybe even worse.

Basil gave him a curt nod, opened the door and left. Nathaniel stood there for a few minutes lost in thought. Then he came back to himself and went to go organize his things for the hunt, vaguely wondering who this mysterious Ministry official could be.


	9. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Nathaniel are finally reunited - but things don't go as smoothly as one would hope...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we are back on track with the story. Chronologically speaking, this chapter follows Newt in New York. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

‘Where are you off to, Scamander?’

Newt skidded to a halt in the Ministry entranceway, mere meters away from one of the Floo network fireplaces. He gripped the handle of his case tightly, and turned around, doing his best to mask his irritation.

Undersecretary Rookwood stood there, a haughty look on her face. She raised an eyebrow at him and Newt realized he still hadn’t answered her question.

‘Romania, ma’am. To visit the new dragon sanctuary.’

She snorted. ‘A hare-brained scheme if there ever was one. Dragon sanctuary.’ She scoffed. She stepped closer to him, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘If you find anything out of place, anything that violates wizarding law, you shut the whole thing down, Scamander.’

‘Oh,’ Newt stammered, ‘it’s not an official assignment, ma’am. It’s more of a personal visit-’

‘Do I make myself clear, Scamander? She eyed him beadily.

Newt looked at the floor. ‘Yes, ma’am,’ he muttered.

‘Good.’ She straightened up. ‘Best be off, then.’

‘Thank you, ma’am.’ He moved away from her and towards one of the fireplaces.

‘Scamander.’

He turned around once again, gritting his teeth. ‘Yes, ma’am,’ he said, forcing a smile onto his face.

‘Make sure you are thorough. I don’t care if you find so much as an unlicensed broom stick. Anything at all, you shut it down.’

Newt couldn’t speak around the lump forming in his throat so he only nodded and stepped into the crackling green flames. He kept a firm grip on his case as he whirled away.

***

Newt felt his feet hit firm ground and he stepped out of the fireplace and into a small wizarding pub, one that reminded him strongly of the Leaky Cauldron. Newt dusted himself off, looked over at the bartender who gave him a lazy nod and went back to counting a pile of gold coins. His case trembled slightly. Not wanting the Niffler to wreak havoc before he had a chance to reach the sanctuary, Newt crossed the pub and out the door.

Newt took one cautious look around the village before immediately disapparating. He reappeared moments later on a wide, grassy plain that was completely deserted. He took out his wand and shot yellow sparks into the air. Due to all the protection spells they had set up, you couldn’t just walk into the dragon sanctuary. Which was a good idea, seeing as they definitely didn’t want anyone just accidentally stumbling across a sanctuary for fully-grown fire-breathing dragons - especially any muggles.

Newt waited, making a mental note that this at least would pass inspection. Then he silently cursed himself - he wasn’t supposed to be inspecting anything, this was a personal visit, one that had been long overdue - but Undersecretary Rookwood seemed to have her own agenda.

Due to his travels, Newt had missed the drama unfolding at the Ministry over the dragon sanctuary and Nathaniel hadn’t mentioned it in any of his letters. The sanctuary turned out to be incredibly controversial. A very small minority were for it, many treated it as a complete joke, and there was an alarming number of people who were actively trying to get it shut down - Undersecretary Rookwood apparently leading the charge.

Newt gave himself a little shake. He wasn’t going to let some high-ranking Ministry official intimidate him. He didn’t care if Nathaniel and the others had trained the dragons to rob banks and were using them to pull off heists - the sanctuary wouldn’t be shut down on his account.

Newt wondered if he should try sending up sparks again when the air shimmered in front of him and an iron archway appeared. At the top of the archway, a stone dragon head glared down at him.

‘Name?’ it asked in a deep voice, it’s granite teeth scraping together.

‘Er…Newt Scamander.’

‘Proceed,’ the dragon rasped, and the archway shimmered gold. Once Newt stepped through the archway, signs of life revealed themselves to him. A log cabin stood to his right, amber light flickering in the windows. From high above, he heard the rush of wings and a mighty roar. He looked up to see a Common Welsh Green dragon soaring in circles above him, it’s emerald scales shimmering in the afternoon sunlight. Newt smiled to himself.

He heard movement and tore his eyes away from the dragon to see a figure wearing a billowing black coat marching towards him and his heart leapt - but upon closer inspection, Newt realized it wasn’t Nathaniel. The figure got closer and Newt saw it was skinny man with a thin fox-like face and straw-coloured hair. This was Nathaniel’s friend Basil, if he remembered correctly.

‘Wondering when you would turn up, Scamander,’ he called brightly.

‘Er, hello,’ Newt said, a bit unsure. He had desperately hoped Nathaniel would have been the one to greet him.

Basil drew up to him and Newt noticed he was cradling what looked like a Welsh Green hatchling against his chest, it’s gold eyes flashing at him.

‘This is Mimbles,’ Basil said happily, stroking the dragon’s scales. Mimbles snuggled closer to his chest, a satisfied thrumming sound coming from him. Newt smiled at the hatchling.

‘He only looks a few days old,’

‘Yeah, hatched just last week.’

Newt wondered if Nathaniel was perhaps attending to the other hatchlings.

‘I’m taking care of these little guys,’ Basil said. ‘Nate’s got his hands full with one of the Ironbellies at the moment. Come on, I’ll take you to him.’ He set off across the hilly field and Newt followed him.

‘We weren’t expecting you for another day or so,’ Basil said.

‘Oh, I managed to put the finishing touches on my manuscript earlier than expected,’ Newt explained.

‘Well, it’s a good thing you’re here at any rate. Ever since you told him you were coming to visit, he hasn’t been able to shut up about you for longer than two minutes.’

Newt felt an odd tingling sensation in his stomach and his heart started to beat a little faster.

‘Oh, that’s, er,’ he babbled but he immediately fell silent as they crested the next hill.

Nathaniel stood in the valley, turned slightly away from them, his shirt sleeves rolled up to expose his tanned, muscled forearms. He had a silver whistle in his mouth and was holding one of his arms above his head. Hovering a few feet above him was one of the Ironbelly hatchlings. This was Serafina, presumably. Newt recognized her markings from the picture Nathaniel had sent him, the picture that still resided in his inner coat pocket. Newt had stared at that picture every single day, usually several times but even then, he wasn’t prepared for the feeling of actually seeing Nathaniel in the flesh again. His breath stuttered in his chest and the tingling feeling in his stomach increased tenfold. He had the strangest urge to fling himself down the hill and into Nathaniel’s arms. But instead he simply watched him.

Nathaniel blew a long note on the whistle waved his arm to the left. Serafina immediately veered in the direction he had indicated and hovered there while Nathaniel took what looked like a piece of raw meat from a bag hanging off his hip and flung it up to her. She caught it in her jaws, chewing contentedly.

‘Unbelievable, isn’t it?’ Basil muttered to Newt. ‘He’s actually training her.’

‘Amazing,’ Newt said. And it truly was. Even after all the work he had done with dragons, after all the years of studying them, he hadn’t thought it was possible to really train a dragon. Yes, the dragons during the war and the ones guarding Gringotts were taught to obey simple commands. But wizards had to use methods that involved intimidation and aggression, methods that involved inflicting pain.

What Nathaniel was doing was far beyond any of that. Newt felt an absurd sense of pride as he watched him. His movements were calm and sure, his stance projecting authority, not aggression. Serafina was obviously calm as well, no hint of fear or anger in her.

Newt wouldn’t have been able to tear his eyes away from Nathaniel if someone had set off a hundred of Filibuster’s fireworks right behind him.

Nathaniel finally turned toward them. ‘Hey, Baz, did you see-’

His eyes fell on Newt and he stopped speaking mid-sentence. For a long moment, the two of them just stared at each other. Then Nathaniel’s face split into a wide grin and Newt did the same, smiling so wide his face hurt.

Nathaniel started toward him - only to almost trip over Serafina who had landed in front of him, hissing at Newt and Basil, acting like a protective guard dog.

‘Oh, away with you, you daft reptile,’ he said irritably, waving her away. ‘Go find your brothers.’

Serafina snapped impishly at him but obeyed, spreading her wings and taking off into the fading sunlight.

Nathaniel walked slowly up the hill towards Newt, his dark gaze fixed on him. Newt felt like a prey animal, frozen in place as he watched his predator stalk towards him. But he didn’t feel like running away. Instead, he silently urged his hunter to come closer, closer.

Nathaniel finally stood in front of Newt, devouring him with his heated gaze, his eyes sweeping Newt from head to toe. Newt trembled.

Nathaniel looked like he was about to step forward but he stopped and turned slowly towards Basil who was still standing there, grinning at them. Nathaniel cleared his throat.

‘Oh, um’ Basil said, ‘think I’ll go help with Lydia with dinner.’ He started to leave and then turned back. ‘You will be joining us for dinner, won’t you?’ he said, a mischievous grin lighting up his narrow face.

‘We’ll see you _later _,’__ Nathaniel said, emphasizing the last word.

With a roguish wink at Newt, Basil turned on the spot and disapparated. Newt looked at Nathaniel. He wanted to close the small gap and press his lips against Nathaniel’s, pull him down to the grass and…Newt felt himself redden as his thoughts strayed to more explicit territory. He wanted to do all that and more but it was as if someone had cast a Freezing charm on him - he couldn’t make himself move.

And Nathaniel was looking a bit awkward, too. He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘So…you finally made it.’

‘Yes,’ Newt said. ‘Finally finished my manuscript. Oh, that reminds me.’ He reached into his coat pocket. ‘I’ve got something for you.’ He pulled out an advanced copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ and handed it to Nathaniel, his hands trembling slightly.

Nathaniel took it, his face lighting up. ‘Wow, Newt,’ he said in an awed voice.

Newt blushed to the roots of his messy hair.

‘Come on,’ Nathaniel said and he grabbed Newt’s arm and pulled him along as he disapparated. They landed in front of another small wooden cabin. Nathaniel pushed the door open and Newt followed him inside. It was a cozy, one-room cabin with a large bed in one corner, a workbench along one wall piled with books, tools, herbs, and potions, and a small round wooden table in another corner.

Nathaniel immediately headed towards the bed. Newt, taking this as an encouraging sign, began to shrug out of his coat.

‘You don’t mind if I read through this really quickly, do you? Nathaniel asked, flopping down on the bed.

‘Er…right now?’

‘Yeah,’ Nathaniel said. ‘I mean, I’ve been waiting to read it for months.’

‘I…’ Newt was thoroughly bewildered. What was going on? Of all the scenarios he had imagined upon his reunion with Nathaniel, this definitely wasn’t one of them. Had he misread the situation entirely? Was Nathaniel no longer interested in him?

‘Sure,’ Newt said slowly, ‘I don’t mind. I’ll just-’’

‘Excellent,’ Nathaniel interrupted. He opened the book to the first page and started reading.

Newt was at a complete loss. He had been mentally psyching himself up for the past week for all kinds of exciting - and terrifying - intimate things to happen between them. But he had never thought of what he would do while Nathaniel sat absorbed in a book he had written while Newt himself stood across the room.

He wondered vaguely if he should do an Erumpent mating dance to get Nathaniel’s attention. He pictured shaking his rear end in Nathaniel’s face - surely he couldn’t ignore that? But Newt dismissed the thought - he didn’t want to sink to such depths _quite_ yet.

So instead, he paced the room, idly twirling his wand in his hand. Ten minutes went by. Twenty minutes. Newt had to refrain from asking what page Nathaniel was on every thirty seconds. He was at least thankful that the book wasn’t that big,  now grateful for the cuts his editor had insisted upon that Newt had argued against. Nathaniel would finish the book soon - and then what would happen? Nathaniel had shown no interest in doing anything with him since he had arrived. There was that smoldering gaze that he had directed at Newt when he first saw him - but perhaps Nathaniel looked at everyone that way.

Newt wondered if he should just make his excuses and head back to the Ministry. He could tell Undersecretary Rookwood that things at the dragon sanctuary were in top form and he wouldn’t have to come here ever again. The thought pained him.

He glanced over at Nathaniel and opened his mouth to suggest he take his leave when Nathaniel met his eyes. Very deliberately, Nathaniel raised his hand to his mouth, his tongue darting out to wet the tip of his index finger and then used it to turn the page, not once taking his heated gaze from Newt’s.

Newt gripped his wand so tightly that red sparks shot out of it, bouncing off the wooden floor.

‘Oh, um, I’m terribly sorry,’ Newt stammered.

‘No harm done,’ Nathaniel said lazily. He turned his attention back to the book but Newt noticed there was a satisfied smirk on his face.

Newt began to rethink things. Was it possible that this was some sort of bizarre seduction technique?

He turned it over in his mind. Newt knew of several creatures (typically females) who feigned disinterest in order to make their potential mates work harder to attract them. Birds did it. Many species of dragons did it. And Newt was sure that humans, male and female alike, could adopt an attitude of cool detachment to become irresistible to their intended partner.

Well, if this was what Nathaniel was doing, it was bloody well working, Newt thought irritably. It was driving him to distraction. He thought about climbing onto Nathaniel’s lap, knocking the book out of his hands and demanding Nathaniel attend to him - but perhaps this was the wrong way to go. If Nathaniel was feigning disinterest to drive Newt crazy…surely, he could do the same?

So Newt resumed his pacing, periodically glancing back at Nathaniel. His pose of casual ease had turned to one of deep concentration. His brow was furrowed, his knees drawn up to his chest, his eyes moving rapidly across the page. Newt tried very hard to ignore the stab of jealousy he felt towards his own book. He sighed, continuing to pace.

Fifteen minutes later, Newt heard a soft snap as Nathaniel at last closed the book and looked at Newt, his expression amazed. ‘Newt,’ he said softly, ‘it’s incredible.’

Newt tried to shrug casually but all he managed was a weird jerk of his shoulders. He looked at the ground, his heart hammering.

‘Now don’t act all modest,’ Nathaniel said sternly, swinging his legs off the bed and standing up. ‘Mark my words, your book is going to be required reading for all wizardkind. I wouldn’t be surprised if they started using it as a textbook at Hogwarts in the next few years.’

He was walking towards Newt as he said this.

Newt felt a prickling sensation at the corner of his eyes. ‘I am…I am rather proud of it,’ he admitted, unable to take his eyes off the beautiful male in front of him.

Nathaniel slipped his arms around Newt’s waist, pulling him close. ‘It’ll spawn an entire generation of beast chasers, I’m sure,’ he said, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

Newt tried to laugh but the laughter died in his throat as Nathaniel leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Newt’s cheek, his stubble scraping pleasantly against Newt’s face.

That single soft kiss almost made Newt go to pieces. He wanted to cling to Nathaniel and weep, he had missed him so much.

‘I’ve missed you, beast chaser,’ Nathaniel said, and his mouth was hovering over Newt’s, so very close. Newt leaned forward, their mouths barely a centimeter apart - when a knock sounded at the door.

Nathaniel drew back from Newt, scowling at the door. The knock sounded again. With a frustrated growl, Nathaniel stomped open to the door and wrenched it open.

‘What?’ he snapped at Basil, who stood in the doorframe, still cradling Mimbles.

‘Dinner’s ready,’ he said cheerfully. He looked past Nathaniel and grinned at Newt.

‘I told you, we’d join you guys later,’ Nathaniel huffed.

‘I know that but Lydia told me to tell you that if you don’t come to dinner, she’s going to curse a certain part of your anatomy until it’s,’ his eyes flicked to Newt, ‘quite useless.’

Nathaniel looked back at Newt. He seemed to be debating something. Then he sighed. ‘You hungry?’

***

Newt sat beside Nathaniel at a large wooden dinner table in one of the cabins. It was another one-roomed building, with a small kitchen, the dining table and a fireplace at one end, surrounded by squashy armchairs.

He ate quietly, while the others talked and joked. Newt felt a bit out of place - these three had known each other for years, an easy camaraderie between them. Still, Nathaniel was attentive to Newt, periodically laying his hand on Newt’s knee, his arm, and glancing over at him time to time.

While Newt appreciated it, he wished he would refrain a little while they were around other people. Newt noticed that Lydia missed none of these brief interactions. Whenever Newt caught her eye she would smile at him. The smile seemed sincere enough but for some reason it made him slightly uneasy. She reminded him of somebody but, at the moment, Newt couldn’t quite figure out who.

When they had all finished their puddings, Nathaniel turned eagerly to Newt. He leaned over and whispered, ‘I think it’s time we make our getaway.’

Newt blushed but nodded. Nathaniel stood up from the table. ‘Well, we’ve better-’

‘Hey, Nate, check this out,’ Basil said, depositing Mimbles on the dining table. Mimbles scampered around the table, his sharp claws marking up the wood.

Basil stood up and walked round to the head of the table. ‘Mimbles! Mimbles! Up!’ he said, patting his chest. Mimbles took a running leap and launched himself at Basil, claws scrabbling at his coat. Basil cuddled him.

‘Wow,’ Nathaniel said, ‘when did you teach him that?’

‘Just the other night. I think when he starts flying, I’ll get him trained up like Serafina. What d’you reckon?’

‘Excellent. You know, I’m planning on teaching her a barrel roll next.’

Newt stood awkwardly to the side as Basil and Nathaniel started talking about the best methods for training dragons. It looked like it could turn into a long conversation. He felt a tap on his sleeve and turned to see Lydia standing beside him.

‘Come have a drink with me,’ she said. ‘Trust me, they won’t shut up for at least another twenty minutes.’

‘Er..okay,’ Newt said. He followed Lydia over to the fireplace and sat down in one of the plush armchairs. She handed him a glass of Firewhiskey and she raised hers, saluting Newt. ‘Cheers,’ she said with a saucy wink and drank.

‘Cheers,’ Newt muttered, taking a tiny sip. The Firewhiskey burned his throat.

Lydia looked over to Basil and Nathaniel. She leaned towards Newt. ‘We’d better be careful or those two are going to start some sort of dragon traveling circus,’ she whispered conspiratorially.

Newt gave her a small smile. ‘I’m not sure how many people would come, seeing as they’d be frightened of being burned alive.’

‘Yes, I suppose there is that.’ She leaned back in her chair, taking another sip of her drink, her eyes fixed on Newt over the rim of her glass.

Newt looked away quickly, his gaze immediately falling on Nathaniel, who was gesturing excitedly, saying something that made Basil roar with laughter.

Newt smiled as he studied him. God, he had missed him. His smile, his laughter, his bold personality - he just wanted to get out of here so it could be just the two of them.

‘Exceedingly handsome chap, isn’t he?’ Lydia drawled beside him.

‘Yes, I suppose he is,’ Newt said absently, not tearing his gaze from Nathaniel.

‘And he does the most _marvelous_ things with his hands, doesn’t he?’

It took Newt a second to register just exactly what Lydia had said. He tore his eyes away from Nathaniel and looked at her. Newt felt a chill as a slow, cold smile spread over Lydia’s face and in that moment, Newt knew exactly who she reminded him of.

Leta. She reminded him of Leta Lestrange.

An icy feeling started in Newt’s chest and spread through his entire body, to the tips of his fingers. He stood up abruptly and, without a word, headed for the door and went out into the night.

Newt marched swiftly across the field, unable to think, hardly able to breathe. He should have known. He should have known that Nathaniel would get tired of waiting and move on to someone else. And how could he not with someone like Lydia around? She was beautiful and confident and Newt was - well the exact opposite. He was gangly and awkward and completely clueless when it came to matters of intimacy. Nathaniel would want someone who was more experienced, someone who knew how to please him. He couldn’t believe he had been so naïve as to think that Nathaniel might want someone like him. Their fling a few months back had been exactly that - a fling. All the emotions were on Newt’s side.

He quickened his pace, heading for Nathaniel’s cabin, cursing himself for leaving his case there. If he had it with him, he could have left already.

‘Newt!’ Nathaniel’s voice sounded behind him but Newt didn’t turn around.

‘Newt, would you slow down for Merlin’s sake.’ Newt heard footsteps behind him and then a strong hand on his arm. Nathaniel swung him around to face him. ‘What’s wrong?’

Newt couldn’t bare to look Nathaniel in the face. He looked out across the field instead, watching as a plume of fire illuminated the night from a dragon perched on top of a hill.

‘Um,’ he stammered. ‘Urgent call from the Ministry. Unavoidable. Got to go.’

‘So, what, the Ministry is using invisible owls now or something?’

Newt looked up at Nathaniel then down at his boots.

Nathaniel sighed. ‘You know you’re a terrible liar, Newt.’

Newt just shook his head, tears blurring his vision.

He felt Nathaniel’s hand under his chin, gently raising his head, forcing Newt to look at him. ‘What is it? Please tell me.’

‘Lydia,’ Newt managed to gasp out. ‘She said…’ but Newt couldn’t go on. He didn’t want to say what Lydia had said just so Nathaniel could confirm it.

Nathaniel’s jaw clenched. ‘What did she say?’

Newt bit his lip.

‘Tell me what she said, Newt.’

‘She said…well, she implied, rather, that you two were…involved.’

Nathaniel blinked at him. ‘What? Why would she say that?’

Newt shrugged, looking away.

Nathaniel sighed. ‘Whatever she said, it’s not true. We’re not together.’

‘Have you..have you ever been involved with her?’ Newt asked.

Nathaniel hesitated for a split second. ‘Yes,’ he said quietly. ‘Years ago. It was an on and off thing for a long time. But it’s finished now. The truth is,’ and here he hesitated again. ‘The truth is she wanted to start it up again when we started this place but I…I put a stop to it. Told her I didn’t want-’

‘Why wouldn’t you?’

Nathaniel raised his eyebrows. ‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Why wouldn’t you want her?’

Nathaniel frowned. ‘Newt, what are you talking about?’

‘Well, I just thought, she’s a bit better suited to you,’ Newt said in a rush. ‘You both have a lot in common, you know about dragons and stuff, and she is quite good looking I suppose, and maybe, I don’t know, it just seems obvious that you should want someone like her rather than someone - someone like me.’

Nathaniel’s face darkened. ‘Do you honestly think, after all we’ve been through, after all the letters I sent you, practically _begging_ you to come visit me, that I _don’t want you? _’__ His voice had risen to a shout.

‘Well, you’ve got a funny way of showing it,’ Newt fired back. ‘I turn up and you don’t even…that is…well, you took the time to read my bloody book before you so much as touched me!’

‘That was…I was trying to…’ Nathaniel spluttered. ‘Oh for fuck’s sake!’ And, without warning, he picked Newt up and slung him over one shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

‘What are you doing? Put me down!’ Newt protested.

Nathaniel answered with a sharp, stinging, slap on Newt’s ass, startling him into silence. ‘I’ll show you,’ he growled over his shoulder at Newt. ‘I’ll show you just how much I want you. I’ll put you right.’ And he marched away across the field, ignoring Newt’s feeble protests.

***

He was going to kill Lydia, Nathaniel thought angrily, as he carried Newt towards his cabin. Or he was going to curse a certain part of her anatomy until it was ‘quite useless.’ Like her wagging tongue.

That woman caused a whole lot of trouble for Nathaniel with her infernal mouth. One kiss, he brooded, one stupid bloody kiss since they’d been here and she had gotten her hopes up again.

It was the night the Ironbelly hatchlings had flown for the first time. They had all gotten drunk, sitting around a bonfire, talking long into the night. One by one, the others had drifted away to bed until it was only him and Lydia left. Things had been friendly enough between them since they had started working at the dragon sanctuary together and Nathaniel had started to hope that maybe this whole platonic friendship thing could actually work between them.

But then, that night, she had lain her head on his shoulder and Nathaniel had sobered up at once. His whole body stiffened as she turned to look up at him, her silver gaze hooded. ‘It is splendid to be working together again, don’t you think?’ she murmured.

Nathaniel couldn’t say anything. He just nodded.

Then she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. And for a few seconds, Nathaniel had let her kiss him. Because he was lonely, because he was missing someone who wasn’t around to kiss him, because he had gotten a letter from Newt just last week, saying that he had to delay his visit yet _again _.__

Lydia snaked her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss, her tongue touching his. She tasted like the Firewhiskey they had been drinking and something vaguely floral and feminine - and nothing whatsoever like Newt.

He broke the kiss, gently detaching her arms from around his neck. She drew back, looking confused.

‘I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to…er…start things up again,’ he said, not meeting her eye. ‘Fresh start for both of us you know? Maybe it’s time the two of us finally just be friends? Real friends.’

She glared at him for a few moments and then she tilted her head, and her lips curled into a knowing smile. ‘You’re still mooning over that beast chaser, aren’t you?’

‘Magizoologist,’ Nathaniel corrected her and then winced inwardly. Could he be any more obvious?

Lydia got to her feet, brushing blades of grass from her trousers. She turned to him, the same knowing smile fixed on her face but her eyes were glistening. ‘It doesn’t matter to me whether you want to fool around or not, you know,’ she said, her tone casual. ‘I can take you or leave you. But I’d rather you were honest about why you’ve turned into a prude.’ And she walked away into the night, leaving Nathaniel alone.

They hadn’t spoken about that night since. Neither of them were willing to bring it up. Now whenever they talked, there was forced casualness on his side and frigid politeness on hers.

But they were certainly going to have a talk now, Nataniel thought, as he neared his cabin, still carrying Newt. A good long conversation that involved words like _boundaries_ and _putting the past in the past_ and especially _if you ever say anything like that to Newt again, I will hex you into a million pieces._

But Nathaniel wasn’t as angry at Lydia as he was with himself. He had let his abominable pride get in the way of his relationship with Newt.

The truth was he had felt so foolish writing letter after letter, dropping so many hints about how much he missed him, asking him to come visit. And he had felt even more pathetic each time Newt wrote back, his hopes rocketing skyward as he opened the letter with fumbling fingers - only to have them come crashing down around him as Newt wrote about another delayed visit, another excursion he had to take.

Nathaniel told himself to be patient and understanding and in the letters he sent back, he was. But in the darkest recesses of his mind, doubt began to take hold. He dreamt up all kinds of worrisome scenarios. What if Newt had found some other traveling companion? Or what if he preferred being alone? He had said as much when they first met. Newt hadn’t asked him along on any of his trips. True, Nathaniel had been busy with the sanctuary but if Newt had so much as hinted that he wanted Nathaniel to come along, he would have joined the beast chaser in a second.

But Newt hadn’t. And in his letter detailing all of his adventures in New York, he had written at length about the new friends he had made - particularly an American witch named Tina. Nathaniel had almost gone through the roof when he read it and had stomped around in a jealous rage all that day, hoping to meet this Tina that Newt was so fond of someday - so he could curse her into next week.

But it all boiled down to one thing. Nathaniel had convinced himself that Newt didn’t want him anymore and he had resigned himself to the fact that he was never going to see Newt again.

And then Newt’s letter had come, announcing his long-awaited visit. And Nathaniel hadn’t known what to think. Then Newt had shown up today, earlier than expected and Nathaniel hadn’t figured out yet what to say or how to act.

There Newt had stood at the top of the hill looking down at him, his hair a complete mess as usual - and he looked totally, completely adorable.

Nathaniel’s first instinct was to bound up the hill, drag Newt to the ground and ravish him right there - no matter if Basil was standing there or not.

But a cool anger and wounded pride had checked him and a cruel voice whispered in his head that he should punish Newt for making him wait so long. So that’s what he did. He took Newt to his cabin and deliberately ignored him while he read his book. And he had secretly loved watching Newt pace and get all riled up.

 _Yes,_ the voice whispered, _Make him wait. Let him have a taste of what it’s like to wait so long for something you want so badly._

Now, because of that stupid, manipulative stunt, Newt had got the idea in his head that Nathaniel didn’t want him. Christ, what a pair of bloody idiots they were, Nathaniel mused. They were made for each other.

At last he reached the door of his cabin and kicked the door open and, still carrying Newt over his shoulder, marched inside.

***

As soon as Nathaniel stepped into his cabin he put Newt down. Newt straightened up, glaring at Nathaniel. ‘I can’t believe you-’ he started to say.

‘Shut up,’ Nathaniel growled and he wrapped Newt in a crushing embrace and covered his mouth with his own.

All thoughts of indignation and anger fled as Newt finally felt Nathaniel’s lips move over his. His knees buckled and he melted against Nathaniel, clinging to his broad shoulders as his mouth was savagely plundered over and over again.

Newt whimpered as Nathaniel tightened his hold on him, pressing their bodies flush against each other, thrusting his arousal against Newt’s, creating that delicious friction. They were both wearing far too many clothes in Newt’s opinion and his hands moved to the front of Nathaniel’s shirt, his fingers scrabbling at the buttons, trying to undo them.

Nathaniel immediately began to back Newt across the room and Newt stumbled as he felt the back of his legs hit the bed and he sat down on the edge of the mattress, staring up at Nathaniel. He gazed down at Newt as he slowly began to undo the buttons on his shirt. Newt’s mouth began to water, and his trousers felt painfully tight as more and more of Nathaniel’s muscled torso was revealed.

‘I’m going to show you, beast chaser,’ Nathaniel said softly, his heated gaze boring into Newt. ‘I’m going to show you every depraved thing I’ve thought about doing to you since I first laid eyes on you.’ He shrugged out of his shirt then grabbed Newt’s hand and brought it to the bulge in his trousers. ‘You feel how hard my cock is for you? Feel how much I want you?

Newt didn’t trust himself to speak so he only nodded as he grasped Nathaniel’s hard length through his trousers. Then Nathaniel gently pushed his hand away and started to undo the fastenings. His cock sprang out, inches from Newt’s face.

‘Suck it,’ Nathaniel commanded.

Newt didn’t need to be told twice. He leaned forward eagerly and took Nathaniel into his mouth. Nathaniel’s head fell back and he groaned as Newt wrapped his lips tightly around him.

‘Fuck,’ he said. ‘Not a virgin anymore, are you?’

Newt wondered if he should tell Nathaniel that he had been practicing on bananas occasionally but now didn’t seem the time. He closed his eyes, revelling in the feeling of Nathaniel’s velvety shaft against his tongue. He sucked him slowly, savoring the taste of him, the feel of him. He looked boldly up at Nathaniel who was gazing down at him, his dark eyes shining with lust.

‘I’ve thought about this so many times,’ Nathaniel said, sounding a bit breathless. ‘Every time I’ve had to get myself off, I’ve thought about you like this, sucking me off with that beautiful mouth of yours.’

Newt moaned around Nathaniel’s cock, increasing his pace. He heard Nathaniel gasp, then felt his hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him away.

‘You keep that up, you’re going to make me cum. And I’m not planning on doing that until I’ve fucked you into the mattress.’

Nathaniel’s words set Newt’s entire body on fire. Nathaniel jerked Newt to his feet and rapidly relieved him of his clothes. Then he took Newt into his arms again and this time there were no barriers between them. Skin met heated skin and Newt shivered in pleasure as he felt Nathaniel’s large warm hands, move along his back, tracing his spine, grasping his hips, pulling him closer. He kissed Newt deeply, more slowly this time and Newt trembled, overwhelmed by the masculine, spicy scent and taste of him.

Nathaniel’s hands were on Newt’s backside, kneading him, spreading him wide. He touched a finger to Newt’s sensitive entrance and Newt whimpered. He had almost forgotten how good this felt, the fluttering sensation flooding through him. Then Nathaniel was kissing Newt’s neck, his shoulder, muttering spells, and then his slick fingers were pressing against him, inside him and Newt clung to him, giving himself up to the carnal magic Nathaniel was creating.

In one swift movement, Nathaniel removed his fingers and shoved Newt down onto the bed. Newt stared up at him, watching as Nathaniel stroked himself, his eyes on Newt. ‘Turn around,’ he said. Newt clumsily repositioned himself, feeling exposed as he bared his ass to Nathaniel, settling on his hands and knees. He felt the mattress dip as Nathaniel climbed onto the bed behind him. Newt felt the slight pressure of Nathaniel’s cock against his entrance and before he had fully prepared himself, Nathaniel grasped his hips and shoved himself into Newt’s hole. Newt arched his back, crying out.

There was no slow build up like the last few times they had done this. Nathaniel fucked him mercilessly, pounding into him so hard and so fast that the line between pain and pleasure blurred so Newt couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began and it all mixed together into one heady, exquisite feeling. His fingers twisted in the sheets, and he was moaning so loudly he was sure the sound carried across the entire sanctuary.

He felt another stinging slap on his ass, much harder than the one Nathaniel had given him earlier and Newt collapsed onto his stomach, losing himself completely. He begged Nathaniel to keep going, to not stop, never stop, to go harder, faster, please, don’t stop. And Nathaniel obliged, grasping Newt’s hips so tightly Newt could feel his nails digging into his skin adding to the pain, heightening the pleasure. Newt was now crying out at every thrust, practically sobbing into the pillow. He felt Nathaniel’s hand in his hair, gripping hard, pulling his head back. He nipped at Newt’s shoulder, not once slowing his brutal pace.

‘You like this, beast chaser? Like it when I get rough with you?’ he panted, his hand still tangled in Newt’s hair.

Newt tried to answer in the affirmative but any words he managed to gasp out were completely incoherent at this point. He felt Nathaniel’s hand wrap around his cock and Newt came violently, his entire body shuddering in release, spilling himself onto the sheets.

He felt Nathaniel withdraw himself and he moaned at the loss - but then he felt himself being roughly flipped over and Nathaniel was moving over him, pushing Newt’s knees up and before Newt completely understood what was going on, Nathaniel pushed his cock back into him.

‘What? Did you think we were finished?’ Nathaniel growled and he began to thrust into Newt again, harder than before.

Newt’s softening cock immediately hardened again. He reached up and tried to pull Nathaniel closer to him but Nathaniel grasped his wrists and pinned them above his head. Newt was completely helpless, unable to do anything except lift his hips to meet Nathaniel’s thrusts.

‘This is how it’s going to be for the rest of the night,’ Nathaniel said savagely. ‘I’m going to have my way with you and you’re going to take it, do you understand?’

‘Y-yes,’ Newt panted.

‘Still think I don’t want you?’

Unable to speak, Newt shook his head.

‘Good,’ Nathaniel said and he covered Newt’s mouth, devouring him, muffling Newt’s cries of pleasure.

Nathaniel was as good as his word. He took Newt again and again throughout the night, so many times that Newt actually lost count. In between fucking him, he made Newt tend to him with his mouth or he would go down on Newt. By the time they both collapsed, utterly exhausted, in each other’s arms, a faint golden glow was visible on the horizon.

Newt awoke a few hours later, his head resting on Nathaniel’s chest, slowly rising up and down as Nathaniel breathed. He felt him stir underneath him, his arm wrapping around Newt’s shoulders.

‘You awake, beast chaser?’ he mumbled.

‘Nearly,’ Newt yawned. He turned and looked up at Nathaniel and gave him a small smile. Nathaniel however, looked slightly troubled.

The smile faded from Newt’s face. ‘What is it?’

‘I think I was too rough with you last night,’ Nathaniel whispered.

Newt shook his head. ‘No,’ he said, dragging himself up and looking Nathaniel directly in the eyes. ‘No,’ he said again, putting a hand on Nathaniel’s cheek, stroking his face with his thumb. ‘I may be sore and exhausted, not to mention very sticky-’ Nathaniel chuckled. ‘But,’ Newt went on, ‘I am also immensely satisfied.’ He leaned down and brushed his lips against Nathaniel’s cheek.

Nathaniel turned his face, pulling Newt down to him, kissing him hungrily. It shouldn’t have been possible for Newt to become aroused again, he was sure after last night he would be utterly spent - and yet he felt a stirring in his loins as Nathaniel’s tongue tangled with his.

He broke the kiss gasping for air. ‘Wait, wait,’ he said breathlessly. ‘I have something I want to show you.’

Nathaniel’s hand slipped down, squeezing Newt’s backside. ‘Hmm…I do like the sounds of that.’

Newt laughed. ‘You’re relentless. And no, it’s not like that. It’s in my case.’

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. Then his expression turned to one of suspicion. ‘It’s not a chimera is it? Because if you start babbling about starting a sanctuary for chimeras I swear to God, Newt, I will-’

‘No, no, no,’ Newt interrupted him. ‘It’s nothing like that. Come on.’

Nathaniel grumbled but allowed Newt to pull him out of bed and Newt only had to fend off his wandering hands once or twice while they were getting dressed.

He opened his case and led Nathaniel down the staircase, passing through the small shed into the case proper. He was greeted with several hoots, bleats, snorts, and honks. Newt went around quickly to make sure everyone was fed and watered while Nathaniel wandered over to the nest of occamies, gazing down at them curiously.

Newt finished his rounds and then went over and grabbed Nathaniel’s hand. ‘This way,’ he said, leading him over to a partition that opened into a moonlit forest.

‘This looks new,’ Nathaniel said, looking around at the shadowy trees.

‘It is,’ Newt whispered. ‘Now, just remember, stay still and don’t make any sudden movements and we should be perfectly fine.’

‘What? What exactly are you-’

‘Shhh,’ Newt said. Then he whistled softly, a long, low note.

And from behind a tree, walking slowly towards them, came a gleaming pearly-white unicorn.

Nathaniel gripped Newt’s hand even tighter. ‘Newt,’ he breathed.

‘Shh, it’s all right,’ he whispered. ‘The trick is to project a sense of calm. If you get nervous, she can sense it.’

He heard Nathaniel take a deep breath beside him as the unicorn moved closer. She stopped a few feet in front of them, her dark eyes studying them. She whinnied softly.

‘What’s her name?’ Nathaniel asked in a hushed voice.

‘Snowflake.’

‘God, Newt, you are so bad at naming animals,’ Nathaniel said, a note of laughter in his voice. ‘First Frank, now _Snowflake? _’__

‘Well, I couldn’t name her Serafina, could I? You took that name already,’ Newt whispered back, grinning.

He gently tugged Nathaniel forward and they took a few cautious steps towards Snowflake. She eyed them wearily but stayed where she was.

Newt stretched out a hand, giving her a gentle pat on the nose. ‘Nice girl,’ he said in a soothing voice. ‘This is my friend, Nathaniel.’ He took Nathaniel’s hand and placed it on Snowflake’s nose. Nathaniel let out a startled gasp but Newt held his hand in place. ‘Shh,’ he said, not quite sure if he was reassuring Snowflake or Nathaniel. ‘It’s all right.’ He lifted his hand from Nathaniel’s and stepped back, allowing the unicorn and the former dragonslayer to get to know each other.

Nathaniel murmured softly to Snowflake as he stroked her nose. Newt caught phrases like ‘gentle girl’ and ‘beautiful girl.’  

As he watched Nathaniel, Newt felt an odd stuttering feeling in his chest. He looked totally at peace as he patted Snowflake and when he turned, his face was split into a wide smile and his eyes looked misty. And Newt felt like his heart was expanding in his chest and he could have stood and looked at Nathaniel for hours, days, weeks on end.

Nathaniel reached out a hand and Newt took it, squeezing his hand gently.

‘Thank you, Newt,’ Nathaniel said in a slightly choked voice. ‘Thank you.’

 

***

Newt allowed himself to stay at the sanctuary for a few more days, happily spending the majority of his time either in Nathaniel’s cabin or helping him with Serafina. He finally remembered to ask Nathaniel about her name and he told Newt, in an uncharacteristically soft voice, that he had named her after his mother. He had gone a bit quiet after that so, instead of asking more questions, Newt just took his hand and squeezed it.

 Basil would join them occasionally with Mimbles but Lydia kept her distance. Newt and Nathaniel took all their meals inside Nathaniel’s cabin or they would have picnics in the field, watching as dragons soared above them or curled up feet away from them, breathing out small plumes of fire as they snored.

Newt couldn’t remember when he had felt happier. The sanctuary was a complete success, the dragons all seemed to be thriving and he was with Nathaniel. What more could he ask for?

Well, he supposed he could have asked for a bit more vacation time. It had only been a week when a Ministry owl turned up while they were eating breakfast, with a letter requesting he set off for Siberia at once to look into some illegal beast smuggling.

He was tempted to ask Nathaniel to join him and he was sure he would have but Nathaniel had received his own letter that very day from his colleagues who were finally bringing in that Chinese Fireball they had been tracking down and the sanctuary needed all of them to prepare for the new dragon.

‘Looks like neither of us can escape work at the moment,’ Nathaniel said, smiling jovially but Newt could hear the bitter undertone in his voice.

‘I won’t be away for so long as I was last time,’ Newt blurted out. ‘I promise-’

Nathaniel shook his head. ‘Don’t make promises, Newt,’ he said quietly. ‘I don’t think either of us is in a position to promise much of anything at this point in time.’

Newt looked away, not knowing what to say. They ate the rest of their breakfast in awkward silence and then Nathaniel walked Newt to the archway. They stood, looking at each other. Then Nathaniel said, ‘Come here,’ and Newt stepped forward into his arms and their lips met and they kissed each other desperately, greedily. It would never be enough, Newt thought, and he broke the kiss and forced himself to step away.

‘Until we meet again, beast chaser,’ Nathaniel said. ‘I think we can promise that, eh? That we’ll see each other again?’

‘Most definitely,’ Newt said, speaking around the tightness in his throat.

Nathaniel nodded at him and Newt stepped through the archway, not daring to look back, disapparating immediately - he knew if he didn’t do it at once, he wouldn’t be able to make himself do it at all.

 _Until we meet again _,__ he thought sadly, as he was engulfed by crushing darkness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I'm always separating them! I'll be taking a bit of a hiatus on this fic until the next Fantastic Beasts movie comes out - while I do have my own ideas for where I want my story to go, I do want to be somewhat canon-compliant. Again, thanks for reading - comments and kudos are always appreciated :)


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